At Morning Star Builders, we’ve been building and remodeling homes in Houston and we know how important it is to have a place at the end of the day where you can settle in with family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the recent tornadoes.

As of Monday, 20 people have been reported killed in the deadly tornadoes that ripped through several southern states this weekend. Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina and Alabama all reported tornado touchdowns and suffered damage.

There were 15 deaths in Georgia, 4 people died in Mississippi and one death in Florida. Two men died in Harris County due to wet roads. At least 8 homes were damages in Scottsville, TX. One woman was injured in South Carolina, however no deaths have been reported there. Hattiesburg, Mississippi has probably seen the most extensive property damage within the areas hit by tornadoes this weekend.

“It is just total devastation and destruction,”  Dougherty County EMA director Ron Rowe said in a press conference. “We have several neighborhoods that have just been removed.”

Many neighborhoods are simply gone. Homes and businesses have been destroyed and dozens of people are reporting injuries so far. It will be days before there is a clear assessment of the damage and the death toll is expected to rise.

As of this writing there has been no fund set up to help those who suffered damage from the storms, however, you can donate money to the American Red Cross and it will be distributed to those in need.

*Photo By Wilmington National Weather Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons