NEWS

Damage from flooding worst in Mississippi since Katrina

Therese Apel
Clarion Ledger

The damage from floods this month is the most widespread Mississippi has had since Hurricane Katrina, officials said.

Caution tape closes off this neighborhood in Drew, Miss., Friday, March 11, 2016, as floodwaters have affected areas in the Delta. The flooding has affected the Delta to varying degrees. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Federal and state assessment teams have been on the ground in the Delta and will head to the Pine Belt on Tuesday, said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson. Extensive flooding in those areas has left hundreds of houses and businesses damaged and destroyed.

Smithson said Coahoma, Bolivar  and Washington counties have been assessed, but there are still more Delta counties to go. FEMA, MEMA and the Small Business Administration have been leading the assessments, Smithson said.

"But we’re hoping that by Tuesday FEMA will say that we’ve got enough severely damage or destroyed homes for the governor to request from the president that we have a federal declaration," he said.

That's even without the heavy flooding across the Pine Belt, Smithson said. The Delta alone may have already topped the financial threshold for the state.

"When we get the declaration, then as FEMA and the joint assessment teams come into the Pine Belt, all that is is an amendment to the original declaration," he said. "It’s a whole lot easier and a whole lot faster than when you return damage assessments in every single county impacted."

Several local, state, nonprofit and faith-based organizations met with leaders in Hattiesburg Sunday to discuss volunteer efforts in the Pine Belt area, Smithson said.

"We wanted to do a volunteer recovery center in every county so if people need help they don't have to go outside their county to find it," Smithson said.

Officials are urging that flood victims  get in touch with their county officials.

"The biggest thing is that people don't know who to turn to, and they don't know what they're supposed to do," Smithson said. "Look at our Facebook, or contact your county emergency management agency. They'll point you in the right direction."

Organizations such as Volunteer Mississippi, Mississippi Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, Team Rubicon, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, the Knights of Columbus, Southern Baptists Disaster Relief, Hope Reigns/8 Days of Hope, Catholic Charities-Diocese of Biloxi, AmeriCorps and others have mobilized to help with volunteer efforts. Many of them are focusing on  repairing buildings as well as providing basic needs like food and water. Some are providing residents with financial assistance.

MEMA officials said hundreds of volunteers have come out to help with relief and recovery efforts all over the state. MsDisasterResponse.org provides a portal for people to register to volunteer or to make monetary donations.

Volunteer reception centers have been set up at the following locations:

  • Coahoma/Quitman counties: Coahoma County Higher Education Center, 109 Clark St. in Clarksdale. The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Washington County/Greenville: Emmanuel Baptist Church, 3600 Glendale Road in Greenville. The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Forrest County/Hattiesburg: R3SM, 301 Buschman St. in Hattiesburg. The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow @TRex21 on Twitter.