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Award-Winning Smithville Reports

Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Series with reporter Sandra Knispel’s stories on the tornado-torn town of Smithville, Miss. The four-part series tells the story of Smithville’s destruction, recovery and rebuilding from an EF5 tornado that hit on April 27, 2011.

 

 

Smithville Largely Razed by Wednesday's Tornado

The violent tornadoes that ripped through the South left a swath of destruction and death in their wake. MPB's Sandra Knispel filed this report from the small Mississippi town of Smithville, a community in Monroe County, that was largely reduced to rubble. Click here to listen and read the full story.

 

At least 14 people died in Smithville after a tornado struck the small town Wednesday afternoon.

 

 

Tornado-torn Smithville Celebrates Outdoor Church Service

Roughly 500 turned out for the Smithville Baptist Church's Sunday service, just four days after the small town in northeast Mississippi was largely destroyed by a tornado, which killed 14 residents. MPB’s Sandra Knispel filed this report from Smithville. Click here to listen and read the full story.

 

Nearly 500 worshipped on Sunday in a tent pitched in front of the destroyed Smithville Baptist Church.

 

 

Tornado-torn Smithville is Getting Ready for Big Sweep

This week, the Army Corps of Engineers will start the big cleanup in Smithville. The tiny town in Monroe County in northeast Mississippi was destroyed by a tornado on April 27th that claimed 14 lives there. MPB’s Sandra Knispel has more from Smithville. Click here to listen and read the full story.

 

Emergency responders, law enforcement and officials, including Smithville Mayor Gregg Kennedy (left), take a quick break from cleanup at an ice-cream party organized by the Red Cross in Smithville on Friday.

 

 

Smithville One Month After the Storm

Today, exactly a month ago an EF-5 tornado leveled most of Smithville in northeast Mississippi. As MPB's Sandra Knispel reports, the recovery in the small town is slow – but a few businesses have already reopened. Click here to listen and read the full story.

 

Cleanup is underway in Smithville, one month after a deadly tornado killed 14 in the small northeast Mississippi town.