MAGEE, Miss. – An earthquake rattled parts of central Mississippi on Saturday as the state endured an outbreak of tornadoes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude 3.0 quake hit at about 1:50 p.m. CT nearly 6 miles east-northeast of Magee. That’s about 40 miles to the southeast of Jackson, the state capital.

Violent tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S., wiping out schools and toppling semitractor-trailers in several states.

At least 19 people have died as an outbreak of tornadoes ravished through the South and Midwest early Saturday morning, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

Jeff Smitherman, the director of an Alabama emergency management agency, joins ABC News live to discuss the high-risk alert for potential tornado outbreaks in Alabama and Mississippi.

Three people are confirmed dead following a tornado outbreak in Alabama. Two people died in Plantersville and one person died in Winterboro. Sign up for our Newsletters. Video abo