1 death in the form of a tornado, the violent weather devastated the south; several injured

At least one person was killed and several others injured as a result of a tornado that ravaged a small Mississippi town Saturday, as violent storms swept the region with torrential rains and flood threats .

The tornado razed the shopping district of Columbus, Missouri, and left the city dotted with debris, including slashed utility poles and damaged homes. The Columbus Mayor's Office said in an article on Facebook that Ashley Glynell Pounds, 41, of Tupelo, had been killed when the storm had fallen.

The statement, which quotes information from the Lowndes County Coroner, Greg Merchant, states that Pounds died while she was with three other people in a building that collapsed. The 41-year-old woman was taken to the hospital where she died as a result of an operation.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said on Twitter that she had reacted to the scene and that she was participating in initial assessments of the damage and coordination of resources in response to the tornado.

Several roads were also left impassable, and pictures of brick-covered cars from collapsed walls and other debris made it possible to see cars.

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Lee Lawrence, who claims to sell used cars in Columbus for decades, told The Associated Press that four buildings on his parking lot had been destroyed. Lawrence said that he was at home taking a bath when the storm hit, flipping trees and blowing through the window of cars.

"The wind suddenly became so violent and it was raining so hard that you could barely see through the door, and I could hear a roar, obviously the wind was coming in," he said. he told the AP. He stated that someone called him shortly afterwards about the damage done to his business and that he was rushed.

"It will be a start-up agreement," Lawrence said. "I can not say that it will come back better or stronger, but we will come back."

The tornado that destroyed businesses in eastern Mississippi was confirmed by radar, said meteorologist Anna Wolverton of the National Meteorological Service in Jackson. She told AP that the experts would be traveling Sunday in the city of about 23,000 residents to gauge the intensity of the tornado.

Another tornado was reported in Burnsville, Missouri, but additional details of possible damage were not immediately known.

Elsewhere in the south, homes, highways, parks and bridges have been flooded or decommissioned by heavy rains and storms.

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Nashville on Saturday broke a 139-year record for the most precipitation in recorded history for the month of February, reported FOX17. Continuing rainfall and severe storms have led the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency to declare a state of emergency.

Some residents of the area have been forced to leave their homes due to rising floodwaters in the area.

"There is no access to my house from here without a boat at this point. The center currently has a depth of about 5 feet, "Steve FOF17 told Steve Didominzio of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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Interstate 40, near the Tennessee line with North Carolina, was closed by a landslide, one of dozens of roads and highways closed in the southern region, officials said. Officials said a landslide had destroyed a subway restaurant in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. No injuries were reported.

Weather officials said the vast storm system was threatening areas stretching from eastern Arkansas south through northern Georgia and beyond. Kentucky announced Friday the closure of US Bridge 51 on the Ohio River to Cairo, Illinois due to flooding on the southern approach. The bridge, which carries 4,700 vehicles a day, will probably remain closed until Thursday or longer.

The Ohio River in Cairo is expected to reach its highest level ever on Sunday and remain so high next week. The Tennessee River, near Savannah, Tennessee, is also expected to reach record levels.

Associated Press contributed to this report.