WLBT-TV Jackson
Finish the Pumps? Rolling Fork residents question EPA officials at public listening session
By Summer Tadlock
ROLLING FORK, Miss. (WLBT) - The Rolling Fork community attended a public listening session Monday night and heard directly from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Residents showed up, eagerly waiting to get their questions answered.
Those affected by the flooding said Monday night was their chance for federal officials to hear first hand just how desperately they need help finishing the pumps.
“On our farm we had over 6,000 acres underwater. All of this was preventable. The EPA and the corps can do whatever they can to fix our problem here,” said local resident Jeffrey Mitchell.
Senator for District 23 and moderator, Briggs Hopson, said even though the historic flood waters have gone down, the devastation still remains.
“People lost their farming crops, people lost their homes and businesses. This has had a tremendous economic and environmental for this area.”
Mary Walker, EPA Region IV Administrator, said they have received countless letters and phone calls from people who need help.
”Everyone has been very active and open to their outreach to us. Senator Roger Wicker’s and Cindy Hyde Smith’s offices have reached out to us about doing this session and we are happy to be here.”
Files of almost 30-thousand signatures were handed to the EPA for the pumps to be finished.
So the main question residents want answers to: Will the EPA reconsider the 2008 veto of the pumps?
“We are looking at all the information and the tools we have available. We are working very closely with the corps so we can find a path to address the flooding," Walker said.