Laurel Leader-Call
Governor, federal officials visit victims; fourth resident’s death attributed to tornado
Apr 17, 2020
A fourth Jones County resident died as the result of injuries suffered when a massive tornado struck her home on Matthews Road.
Gov. Tate Reeves and federal officials visited the area on Friday, a day after Hazel Diane Smith died of a heart attack while hospitalized for injuries she suffered in the massive Easter evening twister.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, FEMA and MEMA officials toured the hard-hit area and reassured residents in the hard-hit area as cleanup efforts continued.
“This is the spirit of Mississippi,” Reeves said. “We took a punch in the mouth, but we have family helping family, Mississippians helping Mississippians. Some people who lost everything are here helping others.”
Reeves thanked Wolf for “stepping up for Mississippi” to get President Trump to declare the area a major disaster.
“That will expedite help to Mississippi,” Reeves said.
The president’s declaration will unlock public and individual assistance for storm victims, Wolf said.
“We’ll be here long after the cameras are gone,” Wolf told residents, adding that he is from Brandon.
The storm was historic in nature, MEMA Director Greg Michel said, with two longtrack tornadoes following almost the same path about a half-hour apart, the first one being the widest on record in state history, at 2.25 miles. In all, 20 counties were affected by tornadoes and 14 lives were lost, four in Jones County, he said. One from the area is still in critical condition.
“More lives could have been lost if triage stations like the one here had not been set up immediately,” he said.
It’s also the first time in memory that anywhere in the state has been under concurrent disaster declarations, he said, referring to the one to combat the spread of coronavirus.
“It’s humbling to see you fight through this pandemic and now this,” he said.
Reeves noted that it is “very unusual” to be able to get a major disaster declaration as quick as Trump signed this one.
“It means a lot knowing they’re thinking about us,” said Mike Kelley, who walked with and talked to Reeves as he surveyed the damage to the property where Kelley and several of his family members live. “We really appreciate it.”
The federal declaration means that temporary housing could be made available for victims. At least 363 homes in Jones County had some damage in the Easter twisters, which traveled from the Oak Bowery and Boggy communities through Hebron, Summerland, Big Creek, Calhoun, Soso and the Matthews Community. It continued into Moss, just over the Jasper County line, as well as Stringer and the Heidelberg area. Reeves and other officials visited Soso earlier this week.
“We’ve been knocked down,” Reeves said, “but we’re going to get back up and come back bigger and stronger than ever.”
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance Saturday by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.