No one was injured after a tornado crossed from Choctaw County into the town of Mathiston Saturday night.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported that an EF-1 tornado crossed from Choctaw County into the town of Mathiston that night. MEMA also reported that an EF-0 tornado was reported just south of Mantee.
A tornado with a rating of EF-1 has wind speeds of 86 to 100 mph and can cause moderate damage, while an EF-0 tornado has wind speeds between 65-85 mph and can cause light damage.
No damage was reported in either county as of Monday afternoon. However, MEMA noted in a Monday afternoon news release that damage reports from across the state serve only as initial assessments from the county emergency management offices and could change as additional reports and assessments are provided.
The Webster County Sheriff’s Department posted on social media Saturday night that it had multiple reports of trees down in the Mathiston/Clarkson area, but no reports of injuries or home damage.
The Mathiston Fire Department was dispatched about 9:20 p.m. to clear downed trees and debris on Spring Valley Road, according to Webster 911 reports. Reports were also received that night of an apparent storm-related road hazard on Hill Street in Eupora, with the Street Department responding, and a downed tree on Clarkson Road, with the District 5 road crew responding. The downed trees had been cleared as of 11 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
The WCSD said it had multiple reports of flooding in Mathiston on Church Street and MS Highway 403 near Wood College, in Eupora and on a few county roads.
Webster County Supervisor Paul Crowley of District 4 said several large trees were blown down around Mathiston, including on Reed Road just south of the city limits in Choctaw County. Supervisor Doug Burgess said four dead trees were blown down in District 5. Both men confirmed that the torrential rain flooded low spots over some county roads.
“It could have been worse,” Crowley said Monday. “The potential was there.”
A huge tree blew down in the park behind the Mathiston Public Library. Because of the storm damage, the town has postponed the Mathiston Mulberry Festival from May 4 to May 18. Crowley said his road crew was going to work with the town to remove debris.
MEMA said it had received damage reports from 21 counties because of tornadoes and severe storms that began Saturday. The National Weather Services in Jackson, New Orleans and Memphis have confirmed a total of 11 tornadoes that impacted the state over the weekend.
Gov. Phil Bryant signed and declared a state of emergency Sunday that covers all counties affected by the weekend’s tornadoes and severe storms. A state of emergency is an administrative tool that authorizes the use of state resources to aid in response and recovery efforts..
The worst damage was around Hamilton in Monroe County, where one person died and 17 were injured. MEMA said 130 houses and numerous other structures were damaged there. Webster County EMA Director Barry Rushing said a group of volunteers from here went to Hamilton Sunday afternoon to help with cleanup.
4-County EPA
restoration work
The severe weather across the service territory caused damage and outages for many 4-County Electric Power Association members this weekend. The cooperative said storms were responsible for outages in every county served by 4-County Saturday evening into Sunday morning, including Webster.
Cliff Wall, 4-County manager of consumer services, said the cooperative was dealing with many widespread issues.
“We had some 46 different outages and nearly 1,500 members without power at the height of the storms early Sunday morning. Most of those were in Clay, Choctaw and Oktibbeha. It looked like three distinct storms came through the territory. One that moved through Choctaw and Webster, one — which was a confirmed tornado — that moved through Oktibbeha and Clay counties and one that tracked through Noxubee and Lowndes. We had more than 10 broken poles and plenty of wire down along with other damage as a result,” Wall said Sunday.
“We mobilized crews, many who worked through the night, and as a result we were down to 29 outages and less than 400 members out by daybreak,” Wall added.
He noted that by early Sunday afternoon, only 92 members remained without power and that power was expected to be back on for those who could take power by midafternoon.
