Photo by Jazmine Moering
By The Flash Staff
At least 26 people died and dozens more were injured when confirmed EF-4 tornadoes devasted Rolling Fork, Amory and other communities in Mississippi on March 24.
In a press release from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), it has been confirmed by the National Weather Service that seven tornadoes touched down in Mississippi. One EF-4 tornado (Rolling Fork/Silver City tornado), two EF-3 tornadoes (Carroll/Montgomery County tornado and Monroe County tornado), and four EF-1 tornadoes impacted the state.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website, President Biden approved a major disaster declaration on March 25 for areas affected by tornadoes. This declaration will allow immediate aid to help residents with the basic essentials of life, including shelter, food, and clothing.
The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe and Sharkey counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
The Jackson State University community, which includes students, staff and faculty from the affected areas, has also responded with words and actions.
Acting President Elayne H. Anthony released the following statement on March 25.
Dear JSU Community,
Last night, a devasting tornado ripped through the Mississippi Delta and Alabama taking the lives of at least 24 people and injuring many others.
The Jackson State University family extends our deepest condolences to the victims and survivors of this tragedy. We especially grieve for any students from these communities. Please know that we are here to be a resource, and we will provide counseling and other services as needed.
Tomorrow, a delegation of JSU journalism students, faculty and I will go to the area hit in Mississippi. We will assist with reporting and delivering emergency supplies in partnership with a local radio station that was damaged in the storm. Please keep our delegation and everyone impacted by the storm lifted in your prayers.
The University also released a statement on March 28 that read in part:
Greetings Jackson State Community,
We are all aware of the recent devastation caused by the tornadoes and extend our sympathies to those families impacted by the damaging effects of the horrible storms across our state last week. We especially offer our deepest condolences to those families grieving the loss of loved ones during this difficult time. Please know that our hearts and prayers are with you as you try to move forward. We have heard from you all and your desire to help the communities that have been impacted by this tragedy. We have worked with local officials and have been given items that are specifically being requested for the areas…
The statement continued:
According to the statement, JSU and Tougaloo College Trio programs are partnering to collect items for high school students and their families in the affected areas. Student leadership is leading the collection of non-perishable food, toilet paper, paper towels, baby formula, school supplies, and cleaning supplies. These items can be dropped off in the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership on the 2nd floor of the Student Center. We will collect these items through Friday, March 31.
Journalism and media studies Professor Don Spann was a part of a delegation from JSU who traveled to the areas affected by the tornadoes to help and cover the story. He was shocked by what he saw.
“My initial reaction was to try and find words to convey what I was seeing. Over my career, I have covered many tornadoes, but this is the worst I’ve seen. A city totally annihilated,” said Spann.
Spann felt it was important for media students to be introduced to covering tragedies like this.
He said, “Anytime there’s an opportunity for our students to cover real time, major news stories, it better prepares them for working in the media industry. Being able to take the knowledge learned in the classroom, executed when needed, further strengthens their confidence and skill sets.”
Senior journalism and media studies student Jazmine Moering was also a part of the delegation.
“My initial reaction when I saw the devastation was what can I do to help. Knowing that this recovery phase can take months and even years to come back from just hurt. When I saw all of the damage and twisted up 18-wheelers, it hurt,” said Moering, a Jackson native. “As we walked and talked to different people from the community, the pain made me hurt as well. We were able to talk with a family there of three generations and to see them looking for photo albums broke me down. That house was the family home. The great grandmother was the original owner of that home.”
Moering added, “As a media student, I felt as though it was important for me to cover this story being that it will help me prepare for what’s to come for me next. This opportunity to see this amount of devastation first hand can never be taken away from me. Also, it showed me how to control my emotions while out on scene,” Moering said.
She added, “A real human knowing that no amount of money in the world can change what some of these people went through hurts. And from a media aspect, I saw the rapid response time for other media professionals and had the opportunity to speak with a few of them. Media professionals actually stopped me because of the type of camera I was shooting with.”
Quindarius Thorton, a junior human resource and development major from Jackson, Miss., offered encouragement to those affected.
“I would say to them, keep your head up. It’s a minor setback for a major comeback. Everyone at JSU is praying for them and offers their support,” Thorton.
According to MEMA, over 21 thousand customers are still without power, with Issaquena and Montgomery counties reporting almost 100 percent outages. MEMA has coordinated multiple resources to help those impacted. Those resources include bottled water, potable water tankers, tarps, portable restrooms, hand washing stations, batteries, bank chargers, and fuel for critical infrastructure generators.
If you would like to help storm victims or have any questions regarding JSU donation requests, you can contact Dr. Mitchell Shears (TRIO initiative/Sally Barksdale drop-off) mitchell.m.shears@jsums.edu, Dr. Arron Richardson (Student Leadership lead) arron.l.richardson@jsums.edu, or Ms. Jacqueline Moore (External partner information) jacqueline.l.moore@jsums.edu.
