Attala County escapes worst; Durant remains without power and curfew kept in place
Despite significant storm damage and a lack of power, the city of Durant held scheduled elections Tuesday. Attala County sustained some damage, but had the capacity to send personnel and equipment to assist Durant.
The storm took the life of one Durant resident and trapped a number of others in their homes until Fire Department personnel could rescue them.
Carlton Hurt, a former town employee, was killed when a beam collapsed after a large tree fell onto the house where he lived. Children in the home at the time did not suffer significant injury, according to city officials.
"We had a few people trapped in three different houses, but we got them out," said Fire Chief Kelly Boyd. "We got all the roads cleared Sunday, but we've got a lot of trees still on the houses."
Police Chief John Haynes said a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
daily will remain in effect until power is restored to the entire community. That is expected to take at least five days.
"There are 25 state agents here day and night making sure that none of the stores are looted," said Haynes.
Although power remains out, water service was quickly restored after a generator was brought in to power pumps, according to Mayor Tasha Davis.
"Agencies are on-site trying to do placement for people whose homes were totally destroyed," she said. "Thankfully everyone had a place to rest their heads last night."
Ward 5 Alderman Linda McDonald said that despite the damage and the challenges they now face, the community is grateful. Tyson's of Cathage, which employs many Durant residents, will work with the Red Cross to feed the community Tuesday through Thursday of this week.
"There have been a lot of donations. Even first- and second-graders in Kosciusko are collecting donations," she said. "It's a blessing that we have good friends."
Davis said one thing the community can use is flashlights and lanterns since there will be no power for days to come. Donations can be dropped at the Star-Herald office at 207 N. Madison St. in Kosciusko for transport to Durant. First United Methodist Church in Kosciusko and Long Creek School in Sallis are also accepting water and other donations to help the residents of Durant.
Attala County damage
The storm also brought damage to Attala County with most damage reported in the northwestern area.
Sheriff Tim Nail said trees were down along Highway 19 north, Highway 440, Highway 35 north, and on several county roads in the northern end of Attala. Mt. Zion M.B. Church on Highway 19 north sustained major damage from trees that blew across the roof.
“Our deputies came out on their own without being called, volunteering to help,” said Sheriff Nail. He sent a letter on Monday expressing thanks to individuals and law enforcement, firefighters, and road crews who helped, whether on- or off-duty.
Emergency Operations Coordinator Danny Townsend said the mobile home of Cliff Thornton on Attala Road 3110 in the Possumneck area had major damage with the roof blown off.
Attala County and Kosciusko city personnel responded to needs of Durant residents following the Sunday tornado.
Mayor Jimmy Cockroft said four city laborers took a front-end loader and spent eight hours in Durant Sunday.
Supt. Les Clark with the Water and Light department said workers with two bucket trucks and a derrick truck spent from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Durant, and returned to continue with cleanup and power restoration efforts at 7 a.m. Monday.
Help for farmers
Attala County farmers who have damage from the recent storms may be eligible to request financial assistance to repair livestock fences and remove debris from pasture and cropland fields. The extent of damage must be large enough that a financial hardship would be created for the producer to rehabilitate damaged areas without federal assistance, according to Attala FSA office personnel.
Farmers that meet the criteria need to document the damage by photograph and contact the Attala FSA office as soon as possible to open a report.
Timber stands with extensive blown-down damage that needs to be cut and replanted as a result of the storm may also be considered for cost share assistance.
The extent of damage must be documented before any harvest actions are taken.
Funding for these two programs is limited, and applications should be submitted prior to carrying out the work where possible.
