Louisiana village welcoming those from surrounding communities to help with cleanup following tornado

Residents in northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi were cutting up fallen pine trees and assessing damage Wednesday after tornadoes hit the region.

Officials in Mississippi said eight to 10 houses were damaged in Star, a fringe suburb southeast of Jackson. Trees for a time blocked U.S. 49, a major highway.

Damage was also reported from an earlier storm near Baskin, Louisiana, a rural town southeast of Monroe.

No injuries were reported in Mississippi. National Weather Service reports show two people injured when a mobile home was damaged in Baskin.

In Louisiana, surveyors said a tornado with top winds of 120 mph (190 kph) moved across Baskin in a 7-mile (11.25-kilometer) path. Its path was as wide as 700 yards (640 meters). A second tornado was confirmed in Madison Parish, but surveyors couldn’t access the damaged area to learn more

National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Byrd said tornadoes around Thanksgiving in Mississippi and Louisiana are not unusual. November is among the most active months for twisters in the region.

The village is welcoming anyone from surrounding communities willing to help with the cleanup.