Fifth person dies after devastating Mississippi tornadoes

Mickey Hudson, 71, died on Saturday morning in Alabama from a pulmonary embolism, said Norma Williamson, coroner in Marion County, Mississippi, where Hudson was injured during last week's tornadoes.

Hudson was driving through the county when the twisters hit on Dec. 23, blowing out the windows on his vehicle, she said.

He opted to continue to his destination in nearby Alabama, Williamson said, where he later sought medical attention.

Four others were killed and 50 injured in the tornadoes, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, which reported that 241 homes and 77 businesses were damaged.

Hudson was the chief executive officer of Hudson Salvage Center and a major contributor to the athletics program at the University of Southern Mississippi, according to an obituary in the Hattiesburg American, a local newspaper.

(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla.; Editing by Susan Heavey)