As a Mississippi town reels from a devastating tornado, a displaced family finds its way home

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — The town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, has struggled to rebuild after a devastating tornado struck last year. The tornado killed 14 residents and reduced the town to rubble as it charted a merciless path across one of the country’s poorest regions. For the people there, a complicated story of struggle and resilience has emerged in the year since the storm exposed vulnerabilities many survivors had been dealing with long before March 2023. Nearly 400 jobs were lost in the county after the tornado and about 300 structures were destroyed. Rolling Fork has seen a sharp decline in tax revenue and the city’s infrastructure suffered millions of dollars in lingering damage. Officials fear a population exodus could loom without more resources.