'Too much to take': Mississippi city mourns teen killed when tree crushed home during weekend storms
TyKeria Rogers, an 18-year-old from Natchez, Mississippi, died when a tree fell onto her home Saturday during the severe weather outbreak.
Mississippi community mourns loss of teen killed during weekend storms
TyKeria Rogers died when a tree fell on her home in Natchez, Mississippi. Natchez Mayor Dan M. Gibson joins FOX Weather to give an update on how the community and TyKeria's family are navigating such a devastating loss after the storms.
NATCHEZ, Miss.– At least four people died as tornadoes and storms tore across the South over the weekend, impacting communities from Texas to North Carolina.
One of those losses was TyKeria Rogers, an 18-year-old from Natchez, Mississippi. Rogers died when a tree fell onto her home Saturday during the severe weather outbreak.
"This has been a very sad weekend for our city," Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson told FOX Weather on Monday. "TyKeria was a bright, wonderful ray of sunshine."
Gibson said Rogers was the captain of the cheerleading squad at Natchez High School and the oldest of three children.
Tornadoes rip across the South with damages reported across 5 states
National Weather Service teams are out across multiple Southeast states assessing damage from tornadoes part of a severe weather outbreak that claimed at least three lives this weekend. FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell reports from Meadville, Mississippi where preliminary assessments found EF-2 tornado damage.
The mayor said the Natchez community has rallied support for Rogers' family in the days since her death.
"Our first responders worked against hope, through mangled tree limbs, debris from this home in hopes of finding TyKeria," Gibson said.
There were other people trapped in the home when the tree fell. Gibson said they all survived.
"We're very grateful that there was not more injury or loss of life, but this one is just really about too much to take," Gibson said.
AT LEAST 4 DEAD AS DOZENS OF TORNADOES DEVASTATE SOUTH ACROSS 7 STATES
Texas community recovering after EF-3 tornado
Montgomery County, Texas Judge Mark Keough describes the destruction of an EF-3 tornado which damaged or destroyed dozens of homes in the area north of Houston.
Gibson said the storms moved in very quickly Saturday.
"It really was just a matter of minutes that the winds were at such a high rate," he said.
Two other people were injured in Natchez, and Gibson said they're recovering.
According to Gibson, it has not yet been determined if a tornado came through Natchez, but it seems more likely that straight-line winds caused the damage.
"We are an old city, with a lot of old trees," he said.
TORNADO STRIKES MISSISSIPPI CHURCH FOR SECOND TIME IN 90 YEARS DURING DEADLY SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK
Members of the O'Zion Baptist Church in Meadville, Mississippi gather after a tornado destroyed the church on Dec. 29, 2024.
(Brandy Campbell/FOX Weather)
Cities neighboring Natchez were also impacted by tornadoes and severe weather. In Meadville, just one county over from Natchez, a tornado destroyed a Baptist church.
Gibson said as long as he's been in Natchez, nothing like this has happened in the city.
"We ask for everyone's prayers, not only for TyKeria's family but for all of her friends and for even these first responders," Gibson said. "We've all been affected by this tragic loss."