In recent days, a historic winter storm invaded the U.S., driving its way through the plains states, as far south as Texas, then moving eastward through the Deep South.
The storm brought with it record cold temperatures, with some areas registering in the single digits, but the greatest menace was the ice and snow which partnered with the record cold to halt everyday activities for several days.
The first wave began on Sunday evening, February 14, bringing the first round of ice, followed by the record cold, with temperatures refusing to climb above freezing, essentially bringing normal life to a standstill, and unfortunately finding many people unprepared.
A second wave of freezing rain moved in on Wednesday evening, February 17, with a great deal more ice accumulation and knocking out power for much of the county.
According to Emergency Management Director, Brent McKnight, at one point most of the county was without power, but he praised the work of 4 County Electric Power Association for their hard work in restoring electricity to Choctaw County residents.
By Thursday, temperatures began to moderate slightly and all of the precipitation had moved out of the area.
Then followed by a weekend of sunshine and higher thermometer readings, aided in the thawing and melting process, leaving in its wake a good deal of tree damage, as well as damage to some structures.
McKnight, who began the damage assessment this past Monday morning, stated that there have been a few reports of damage to some small structures and there appears to be quite a few tree limbs on the ground.
Also, there were a number of accidents reported, with drivers sliding off the road and into ditches, but no reports of serious injuries. McKnight also mentioned the work of the county supervisors and their crews who worked to try and clear roads and remove tree limbs from roadways during the aftermath of the storm.
McKnight noted that Governor Tate Reeves did declare a state of emergency during the weather event, and his (McKnight’s) next step is to complete the damage assessment and get those numbers to state officials.
No disaster declaration has been issued by the federal government at this time for Mississippi.
