Tornadoes that rolled through parts of Mississippi the night of May 6 injured at least 17 people, damaged hundreds of homes and toppled trees over roadways, officials said.

As storm chaser Ashton Lemley picked his way through a tornado-ravaged Mississippi trailer park, he heard the unmistakable meow of a kitten pierce the predawn darkness.

As many as 815 buildings were damaged in Franklin and Lincoln counties, and the storm left debris and fallen power lines across some roads, Scott Simmons, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Man...