HottyToddy.com Weather: Sunshine, Recovering From Flood Waters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7gahmcWomA

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Rebels!

It was a chilly 46 degrees this morning on Sorority Row at Ole Miss campus. Warming up, the high for today is 71 degree with a low of 49 degrees on into the night.

Along with a drop in the temperature tonight, there is a 23 percent chance of a thunderstorm. No worries, the sun will pop back out again in the morning for a bright Friday!

MSEMA.ORG: Updated Mississippi Flooding Response and Recovery

According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, there were at least 360,000 sandbags, 17,280 water bottles and 1,152 MREs and 150 tarps distributed to flooding Mississippi counties.

The Mississippi State Emergency Operations Center has storm reports from 40 counties due to the heavy rainfall and flooding throughout the state. Initial damage reports show more than 600 homes with major damage and a total of nearly 1,600 are affected. There is one injury reported in Jones County and two fishermen are still missing from Claiborne County.

Damage Assessments:

• FEMA individual assistance damage assessment teams will arrive in Mississippi Thursday morning. Joint preliminary damage assessments with FEMA, SBA, MEMA and local officials will begin Friday in Coahoma and Washington counties. Additional counties will be assessed as water recedes and areas become accessible. The results of the joint damage assessments will be used to determine what types of federal assistance may be available.

There are seven shelters open throughout the state being managed or supported by the Mississippi Department of Human Services and the American Red Cross:

• Bolivar County: Merigold Storm Shelter, 300 Lee St. in Merigold.
• Clarke County: Shubuta Fire Department, 325 N. High Street in Shubuta.
• Coahoma County: County Expo Center 1150 Wildcat Dr. in Clarksdale.
• Forrest County: 361 Shelter, 946 Sullivan Dr. in Hattiesburg.
• Perry County: Perry Central High School, 9899 Hwy 98 in New Augusta.
• Quitman County: New Zion MB Church Family Life Center.
• Washington County: County Convention Center, 1040 Raceway Rd. in Greenville.

The Mississippi State Extension Service Early Years Network is providing safe spaces for children in the shelters.

There is an alarming number of damaged homes and roads in Mississippi with flood waters still threatening some areas. Washington County, which is where the Mississippi River Bridge connecting to Lake Village, Arkansas is, had 355 homes destroyed or flooded with major damage, 160 homes with minor damage and four businesses with major damage. A full list of damages within the counties can be found at msema.org.

Emily Newton is a staff reporter for hottytoddy.com and the editor of Experience Oxford magazine. She can be reached at emily.newton@hottytoddy.com.