Extent of damage to Cooper Tire plant in Tupelo unknown for now

TUPELO – The Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. manufacturing plant in Tupelo suffered considerable damage late Friday as a suspected tornado damaged several other buildings in the city as well. When Cooper’s 1,700 employees can get back to work is unknown at this point, as the extent of the damage to the plant has yet to be determined. “We are evaluating that now,” said manufacturing director Colby Clodfelter said of the status of the plant. “Cleanup efforts are already underway, and we had a chance to assess the damage in the sunlight, which was a benefit for us today. We’ll…