The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) received damage reports from 25 counties including Choctaw County in response to the severe weather that impacted the state Saturday, January 11.
Choctaw county residents experienced severe flash flooding across the county resulting in 26 apartment units damaged, 10 roads closed due to debris, and two closed due to flooding
As of this Monday, there were 9,169 power outages statewide, with the bulk of the outages coming in Bolivar, DeSoto, Sunflower, and Washington counties.
The following damage reports serve only as initial assessments from the county emergency management offices and can change (either higher or lower) as MEMA receives additional reports and assessments.
Initial damage reports by county (assessments ongoing):
•Bolivar – 107 homes damaged, three roads damaged, four injured
•Carrol – one home damaged, 10 roads damaged
•Chickasaw – one home damaged, 10 roads damaged
•Choctaw – 26 apartment units damaged, 10 roads closed due to debris, two closed due to flooding
•Coahoma – two homes damaged
•Copiah – one home damaged
•DeSoto – 210 homes damaged, five roads closed
EF-1 tornado from Tate into DeSoto County
EF-2 tornado
• Grenada – 10 homes damaged
•Hinds – 13 homes damaged
•Leflore – three homes damaged
•Leake – 10 roads closed due to flooding
•Lee – homes damaged, roads flooded
•Marshall – five homes damaged, three roads closed, one injured
•Monroe – one home damaged, 10 apartment units damaged, 15 roads closed
•Oktibbeha – 30 roads closed and/or flooded
•Panola – 50 homes damaged, 30 roads closed and/or flooded, one injury
•Prentiss – 54 homes damaged, five apartments damaged
•Quitman – eight homes damaged, four apartments damaged, one road closed
•Sunflower – homes damaged, five roads closed, six injured
•Tallahatchie – 30 homes damaged
•Tate – four homes damaged
EF-1 tornado into DeSoto County
•Tishomingo – three homes damaged, three roads closed
•Tunica – four homes damaged, four businesses damaged, 17 farms damaged, two injured
•Washington – 20 homes damaged, 50 apartments damaged, 10 roads closed, two injured
•Webster – three homes damaged, 15 roads closed
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated and monitoring any requests or unmet needs from the county emergency management offices.
The public is encouraged to report damage to homes or businesses to their county emergency management office.
Additional Counties Eligible for Public Assistance Funding in Mississippi
Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Oktibbeha counties are now eligible to apply for funding under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program to supplement state and local recovery efforts in areas that sustained damage from severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding that occurred Oct. 26, 2019.
The Dec. 6, 2019 major disaster declaration for Mississippi included Alcorn, Covington, Itawamba, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Leake, Lee, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Scott, Simpson, Smith, and Tippah counties.
Assistance to designated counties may cover eligible debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair or rebuilding of public facilities such as roads, bridges, water control facilities, buildings, equipment, public utilities, parks, and recreational facilities. Additional designations of eligible counties may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Public Assistance funding for the state and designated counties may include payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs incurred due to the storm.
All areas in the State of Mississippi are eligible for assistance under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Application procedures for state and local governments will be explained at a series of state/federal applicant briefings to be announced in the affected areas. Approved projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA.
