Vicksburg, MS F5 Tornado – December 5, 1953

‘They had always said Vicksburg would never have a tornado because of the river’ – Marie Renaud, survivor of the 1953 Vicksburg Tornado

Marie was interviewed by the NWS Jackson for the 60th anniversary of the tornado. She was 11 years old when the tornado hit. She, like many Vicksburg, MS residents believed that the river would protect them from a tornado. Unfortunately, on December 5, 1953, a destructive twister crossed over the Mighty Mississippi and directly hit the town of Vicksburg.

I gathered most of the details about this event from a well-documented summary by the NWS Jackson. You can read it here.

They also have a page dedicated to survivor accounts. There are text and video interviews. Find it here.  

At approximately 530pm CT, a tornado developed just west of the Mississippi River in Madison Parish, LA. There is little information about the damage in this area. Per the NWS Jackson, “Because it occurred in a sparsely-populated area, there is some uncertainty with respect to the exact location where the tornado first touched down. However, some accounts of the storm do indicate that damage occurred just west of the river in Louisiana.” The SPC Database does not list Madison Parish as a part of this tornado track. Thomas Grazulis in Significant Tornadoes does.

From this area, the tornado crossed over the Mississippi River bridge and moved to the southern tip of DeSoto Island where several trees were downed. It moved over the Yazoo Diversion Canal. It was in this area that a fisherman was killed. Per the summary, “His car was later found on Levee Street, and days later his boat was found along the Mississippi River near Port Gibson, but sadly he was never found.” 

The tornado strengthened as it moved through the industrial area southwest of downtown Vicksburg. There was significant damage along the Vicksburg Railroad and to many businesses in this area.

The next stop was into the downtown area. Per the summary, “Residents in downtown Vicksburg were caught completely off guard by the tornado as it began to plow into the heart of town. Many heard the storm coming just mere moments before it arrived, and made a last ditch attempt to run into the back of buildings or basements for safety. As the tornado moved across South Street, one eyewitness says the Farmer’s Tractor Supply Company “just exploded right in front of my face”. The company’s owner lost his life. In the same block, several businesses were hit along Washington Street, most notably Mississippi Hardware and Ben Warren’s Clothing Store. Those two buildings almost completely collapsed, trapping several individuals including many who were seeking shelter in the basement at Mississippi Hardware. Two lives were lost at Ben Warren’s Clothing Store, including a daughter of the owner.

Crossing Crawford Street, severe damage continued to occur at the numerous businesses along Washington Street including the Sports Shop, Palermo’s Mens Shop, and at the S.H. Kress Dime Store. Two died at Palermo’s, including a customer and the son of the owner. A block to the east, the tornado damaged St. Paul Catholic Church. Though the historic building was not leveled by the tornado, the structure was later determined to be unsound and had to be rebuilt. The tornado continued across Clay Street causing damage at First National Bank, the Jefferson Davis Hotel, and Hotel Vicksburg. At the Strand Theatre, there was a partial wall and roof collapse.”

One of the most tragic events related to this tornado occurred at the Saenger Theatre. Stephanie Mitchell was celebrating her 10th birthday on December 5. Her sister had a birthday just a few days later. Their parents took the girls and some of their friends to the theatre to see a movie. George went home after dropping off everyone, Lillian, who was seven months pregnant stayed at the party. From the NWS Summary, “The Saenger, which was located at 1209 Walnut Street at that time, was directly in the center of the tornado’s path. Before the tornado hit, the power flickered and eventually went off. Then light suddenly reappeared in the large theatre as a wall collapsed, bringing the screen down along with it. The ceiling collapsed as well, trapping several people under their seats and debris. Sadly five children died at this location, each under the age of 10. Included in that count were two sisters.”

The Mitchell family did survive. Lillian and her daughters were trapped for several hours before being rescued.  Three days after this tragic event, she gave birth to another miracle, her third daughter.

As the tornado continued to churn northeast, several more buildings and businesses were hit.  There were more fatalities, including two toddlers who were killed at the Happyland Nursery.

There was tremendous damage to a residential area on the north side of town. “Many homes along Adams Street, Randolph Street, Fayette Street, Jefferson Street, Locust Street, and the surrounding areas were completely leveled. At least three deaths occurred in this neighborhood, including a mother and daughter.”