PEARL, Miss. (MEMA) – An update on the severe weather and flooding impacting Mississippi: Tragically, a fatality was reported in Franklin County when a county road crew member was killed while assisting with storm cleanup operations. Please pray for the family during this difficult time.
The State of Mississippi – including the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi Department of Public Service, and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality – continues to coordinate response efforts with local emergency managers and deploy resources as requested.
Water rescues have taken place in Harrison County.
Multiple roads remain closed in George, Hancock, Harrison, Pearl River, and Stone counties.
The dam at Anchor Lake in Pearl River County is currently being monitored. At this time, according to MDEQ, the system is functioning as designed – water is flowing through the primary and auxiliary spillways. However, there is very little storage capacity remaining and there is additional precipitation predicted. If that happens, it could quickly overwhelm the spillways and compromise the structure. MDEQ’s dam safety director is en route to the scene and remains in communication with local officials. Homes within the potential inundation area are being notified by the Pearl River County Emergency Management Administrator. Residents living near the East Hobolochitto Creek basin – particularly those east of Interstate 59 between East Boley Road and West Union Road – are encouraged to move to higher ground and remain alert for changing conditions. Approximately 30 homes are being evacuated as a precautionary measure. As of 5:20 pm Thursday, there are 10,452 power outages.
Please pray for Mississippi’s road crews, first responders, and emergency managers as they respond to these storms and floods. They are working in incredibly dangerous conditions to keep Mississippians safe. Our entire state is grateful for their efforts.
Continue to avoid flooded roadways, monitor emergency alerts, and stay safe!
For the latest information on Tropical Storm Arthur and ongoing response efforts, visit https://msema.org/ or download the MEMA Mobile App.
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