SMITHVILLE – With more bad weather expected for Monday and Tuesday, many counties across the state continue with the cleanup after a rash of tornadoes swept through the area last week. Smithville, located in Monroe County on the border of Alabama, was one of the hardest hit areas with a reported 14 people killed and more than 40 others injured.
More than 300 people were reportedly killed across several southern states as about 160 twisters left a path of utter destruction.
WAPT reported that 35 people were killed across Mississippi and 2,527 homes were damaged. Of those, 993 were destroyed or reported major damage. WAPT also reported that 104 businesses were damaged with 62 being completely destroyed or sustaining major damage.
In Smithville, a town of less than 1000, homes were blown off their foundations as the National Weather Service said an EF5 tornado with a span of a half-mile ravaged the area with winds up to 205 miles per hour.
Weather officials said the tornado had a path of about three miles on the ground and it was the first time since 1966 that a tornado of that strength was seen in Mississippi.
Monroe County Sheriff Andy Hood said more than 200 homes and 20 businesses were destroyed while one news source said clothes and debris were hanging from trees while flipped cars cluttered the street.
“It is utter devastation,” Hood said. “We had numerous homes made out of brick and built solid. Right now, those homes are slabs of concrete. There is nothing left.”
Grown men openly cried in the street as they looked around and saw the remnants of a lifetime of sacrifice and hard work.
Almost immediately, the town began a massive cleanup as scores of volunteers came in to help residents salavage what was left and care for critical needs such as food, water and housing assistance.
In church on Sunday, congregants celebrated what they called “Resurrection Sunday,” while Smithville Baptist Church Pastor Wes White spoke a message of peace and rebirth.
President Barack Obama promised federal aid to the tornado-ravaged South as he surveyed the damage while touring parts of Alabama devastated by the storms.
The president later issued a federal disaster declaration for seven Mississippi counties including Clarke, Greene, Hinds, Jasper, Kemper, Lafayette and Monroe.
Those counties will receive FEMA Individual Assistance, which provides grants for individuals and families, Public Assistance, debris removal and emergency protective measures and low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Four additional counties, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Neshoba and Webster, were later approved for federal assistance.
Governor Haley Barbour said he appreciated the aid of the president in helping Mississippi rebuild after the deadly storms.
“I am grateful to President Obama and the leadership of FEMA for granting our request for a disaster declaration,” Barbour said. “Although this declaration covers only the seven hardest-hit counties, this is a good start. This is the first in what I expect to be a series of aid packages from the federal government to help us recover from the tornados and begin the rebuilding process. Again, I thank President Obama and FEMA for their quick action on our request.”
Be the first to comment