A Time to help those in need

Mother nature brought on destruction to Mississippi last Friday night. Homes, cars, and lives were gone in a matter of minutes. It breaks my heart anytime I hear of a tornado hitting any area. Tornados have no mercy. There is no discrimination when they touchdown.

The temperatures had started being in the range that most people enjoy, 70º-80º Friday. But in the south, March and April have a better chance of a tornado due to the drastic temperature change from one day to the next.

I was getting weather updates on my phone while at work Friday. The weather reports said that Mississippi would be in the four out of five range for the expectancy of a tornado.

I was praying the bad weather would pass us, but by looking at the weather radar, there was no chance it would miss Mississippi this time.

The storms came in with a fury Friday night. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency continues to assess the damage in multiple counties affected by the March 24 tornadoes and severe weather. At press time, the National Weather Service confirmed seven tornadoes touched down in Mississippi. One EF-4 tornado (Rolling Fork/Silver City tornado), two EF-3 tornadoes (Carroll/ Montgomery County tornado and Monroe County tornado), and four EF-1 tornadoes impacted the state.

The explosive tornado outbreak claimed a total of 21 deaths in the state. The death toll by county is Sharkey County 13, Monroe County 2, Humphreys County 3, and Carroll County 3. It breaks my heart for all the families that are dealing with the death of a loved one(s). This storm took young and old. It is heartbreaking for anyone who has to endure a tragedy like this.

So many photos on social media and in the news showed homes damaged or destroyed. There were approximately 1,900 homes either affected or destroyed. Monroe County had the hardest-hit area, with 1,476 homes, and Sharkey had 255. Other counties’ numbers were in the double digits. Humphreys had 55 homes, Montgomery County had 49 homes, Carroll County had 24, Panola had 33 homes, and Carroll County had 24 houses destroyed. Grenada and Prentiss both had one home damaged.

Monroe, Sharkey, Carroll, and Humphrey’s residents are eligible for physical and economic injury disaster loans from the Small Business Administration.

We can all help at this time. So many people lost their homes and so much more. I can’t imagine how hard it is to survey after this happens.

MEMA’s recent list of needed items is nonperishable food, sunblock, cleaning supplies, and paper products: toilet paper, tissues, plates, plastic cutlery, storage bins, Gatorade, sports drinks, hygiene products, and women’s hygiene products. MEMA said they DO NOT need clothing donations. Monetary donations can be made to the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army.

If you would like to donate bottled water, the delivery site is Carroll County Emergency Operation Center, 20480 Highway 35, McCarley, and Montgomery County: Winona Coliseum, 200 Recreational Drive, Winona.