Hattiesburg American and Associated Press

Note: For complete coverage and continued updates of this story, please click here.

A tornado that tore through the Hattiesburg area overnight killed three people, closed parts of Interstate 59 and left nearly 15,000 homes and businesses without power. And as emergency crews are responding to disaster needs, officials are also preparing for another round of severe weather this evening.

All three fatalities were in Hattiesburg. Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict said two of the fatalities were in a trailer park off Edwards Street. The third was from a residence off Crestwood Drive.

Victims' names are not being released at this time.

Forrest County Emergency Management Agency Director Glen Moore said the tornado hit Hattiesburg, Petal and the unincorporated areas of Forrest County. The National Weather Service in Jackson said the same line of storms hit neighboring Lamar and Perry counties. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported heavy structural damage in both areas, but officials have found no fatalities so far.

Moore said there were multiple reports of people trapped in homes along the path of the storm. State and local emergency responders coordinated on rescue missions in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday as a another line of severe weather swept through.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol shut down parts of Interstate 59 north of Hattiesburg due to debris and downed power lines covering most of the lanes.

Mississippi Power spokesman Jeff Shepard said there are approximately 9,100 homes and businesses without power in Hattiesburg and Petal.

"We’re assessing the damage and restoring power where we can do it safely," he said. "We have crews from the coast and Meridian en route to Hattiesburg to assist our Pine Belt employees."

Dixie Electric Power Association, which serves 38,500 customers in a seven-county area of South Mississippi, reported more than 5,000 without power.

"The majority of those are in Forrest County, 3,166. We’ve got in Jones County, 739 out, Perry County, 727, Wayne County, 319, and Covington, 39," said spokeswoman Lydia Walters.

Petal Mayor Hal Marx is urging residents to stay home. Emergency personnel are out working to clear roads, and there are multiple areas of downed power lines and gas leaks.

"Stay off roads in affected areas," he said. "No sightseeing."

Petal sustained major damage along Evelyn Gandy and Byrd parkways, and an 18-wheeler overturned in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. Several stores in the adjoining strip mall are heavily damaged, including the AT&T and C Spire wireless stores, Fox's Pizza and Los Charros restaurants.

Trees and power lines are down along Central Avenue, Corinth Road and Old Corinth Road. Other areas are reporting damage as well.

Officials at the National Weather Service say more severe weather is expected between 4 p.m. and midnight. Meteorologist Latrice Maxie said there is the danger of more tornadoes.

"There is a chance later tonight for hail, damaging winds, another round of storms. There is a chance of tornadoes, but it is greater north of I-20, Jackson and Meridian, north," she said.

Maxie said the severe storms are the result of warm, moist air present across the southeast.