Mississippi volunteers help tornado victims with recovery

Volunteers in Mississippi began organizing Saturday, following an onslaught of tornadoes that ravaged the state, killing seven and damaging hundreds of homes and dozens of businesses.

Some arrived within hours to help clear debris and fallen trees. Others began stocking up on food, water and other supplies before heading out to areas impacted by the storms.

One group, Mississippi MOVE, was in Tylertown on Monday handing out recovery kits, bottled water and hot meals.

Volunteer Mac Epps of Jackson, said the group quickly coordinated the relief effort and were able to begin offering sustenance and assistance to anyone who stopped by.

The volunteer effort would move to Grenada in northern Mississippi, followed by visits to Issaquena and LeFlore counties in the Delta, also hard-hit by the tornadoes.

The group planned to return to Tylertown again in the next few days, Epps said.

"I (also) came down here to help one of my fraternity brothers," Epps said. "He lost his home. He's a local teacher."

Despite losing his home, the man helped Epps with plans for the volunteer effort.

Tylertown Ward 2 Alderwoman Stormy Jefferson, who was volunteering with Mississippi MOVE, said she began reaching out to people immediately after the storm to make sure help would be arriving for the area, regardless of whether they live in the town.

"You never know, it may be them and it could be us later," she said. "That's one of the things in my position is to be helpful in every area, not just in my hometown. This is what I love to do. I'm glad to be part of the healing process."

Church groups were scattered throughout the storm-devastated areas, with volunteers often setting up outside their own damaged churches to offer aid where they could.

Salem Baptist Church in the Salem community outside Tylertown was one of those churches. There was no electricity and part of the building was damaged, yet dozens of volunteers were on hand and would continue helping wherever they could.

"Thank you to all who have volunteered and cleaned up in and around our community," the church staff wrote on Facebook. "We have suffered a great loss in the community but we are still blessed. Please reach out if you need help at your home or property."

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency reported damage to 715 homes, 29 businesses and 16 farms throughout the state as of Tuesday morning.

"Those numbers are expected to rise as damage assessments continue," the agency reported.

Line workers were continuing to restore power where they could. Outages were down to 1,369 customers throughout the state as of Tuesday.

Individual county reports made to MEMA as of press time:

Only one funeral was scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon for the seven victims who died in the tornadoes:

Gov. Tate Reeves was touring the state this week, surveying damage and visiting with survivors and the families of those who died.

The National Weather Service in Jackson confirmed at least 17 tornadoes struck the state beginning late Friday night and into the day Saturday, but that number could change as the service continues to investigate affected areas.

The strongest tornado was an EF-4 that started in Louisiana and traveled through Pike, Walthall, Marion, Jefferson Davis and Covington counties. The tornado had maximum wind speeds of 170 mph and was on the ground for 65.2 miles, the NWS reported.

Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and Clarion Ledger. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on X  @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.