WDAM-TV Hattiesburg
Gov. Reeves surveys damage in Jones County
By Eddie Robertson
JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) - Federal disaster assistance for Covington, Jones and Jefferson Davis counties has been approved by President Donald Trump.
This will help victims with temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans and other programs for people and businesses affected by the deadly Easter Sunday tornado.
On Friday, Gov. Tate Reeves returned to Jones County, visiting with members of the community, surveying the damage and offering words of encouragement.
He reminded those there, that the people of Mississippi are resilient, and the all the communities affected by the deadly tornadoes will rebuild again with the help of local, state and federal help.
“We are used to dealing with tornadoes in Mississippi, what we’re not used to is a tornado of this magnitude, that was this wide and stayed on the ground this long, and the damage that has been done here is catastrophic," Reeves said. "But we’re fortunate to have federal partners who understand. We’re fortunate with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and our congressional delegation that have stepped up to the plate and the federal government, under President Donald Trump’s leadership, is going to be here for us.”
It’s estimated that the Easter Sunday tornado was the widest tornado in Mississippi’s history and the third widest in American history.
Fourteen people were killed in the state with four of those deaths occurring in Jones County.