8. April 24, 1908
In 1908, the area spanning Louisiana and Georgia was battered with a series of tornadoes that ultimately took the lives of more than 324 people. Though the entire storm season was tough for the area, most of the calculated destruction came on April 24, when an F4 tornado traveled from Weiss, Louisiana to Wayne County, Mississippi, a distance of more than 150 miles. One hundred forty-three people were killed by the tornado as it traveled. Another 800 were left injured. Before the storm, Purvis, Mississippi had 150 free-standing houses. Afterward, it had seven.
