Power restored to parts of north Rolling Fork as crews work feverishly

Ross Reily, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·4 min read

ROLLING FORK — Electricity is being slowly being restored to parts of Rolling Fork in a painstaking process that no one knows for sure how long it will take.

The Sharkey County town of around 2,000 was hammered Friday night by an EF-4 tornado that was nearly a mile wide that has devastated this community in the southern part of the Mississippi Delta. Winds were recorded at 170 mph according to newly released National Weather Service findings.

The tornado killed 21 people across the state as it originated near Southwest Rolling Fork and traversed across the Delta through Silver City, Tchula and up toward Winona.

The Northgate subdivision had power restored Monday afternoon, according to EMA officials. However, that part of town lost power again Monday and currently has intermittent periods with power. The official estimated 95% of town is still without power. Overall, eight counties across the state have some degree of power outages related to the storms.

Sonia Qualls, right, and Michael Vogel, center, both of Rolling Fork, load groceries for family members who are still living in Rolling Fork on Tuesday. The couple is staying in Vicksburg, 45 miles away. The grocery store, Stop-N-Shop, is open and running business on a generator after a tornado ripped through the small Delta town last Friday.
Sonia Qualls, right, and Michael Vogel, center, both of Rolling Fork, load groceries for family members who are still living in Rolling Fork on Tuesday. The couple is staying in Vicksburg, 45 miles away. The grocery store, Stop-N-Shop, is open and running business on a generator after a tornado ripped through the small Delta town last Friday.

Officials estimate there are about 1,300 water and electric customers in Rolling Fork. There is no reliable estimate about how many customers are actually able to receive water and electric service. It is thought that more than 60 percent of residents and buildings were either destroyed or damaged to the point that utility service is not possible at the moment.

Flex on resuming HS sports:How MHSAA is giving Amory and South Delta flexibility to resume athletics after tornado

U.S. flags, with a backdrop of storm debris, dot the landscape in Rolling Fork on Tuesday. The small Delta town, fighting to recover, was slammed by an F-4 tornado Friday night.
U.S. flags, with a backdrop of storm debris, dot the landscape in Rolling Fork on Tuesday. The small Delta town, fighting to recover, was slammed by an F-4 tornado Friday night.

Emergency crews from across Mississippi and the South are also working on the South edge of town as well. However, the vast majority of the town is without electricity and will be for some time. There is some water pressure for those structures that are not destroyed or compromised, although health officials are warning against using it for anything other than outdoor use and for toilets.

While most businesses in the town are not up and running, the local grocery store, Stop-N-Shop, on the very North edge of town is up and running. It still does not have utility-provided electricity, but it has been operating on generator power since Sunday. It also has a pharmacy for people needing to re-fill medications. There is one other pharmacy open for business as well.

Winona struggles for power, water:Winona struggles without electricity, water after deadly tornado strikes Mississippi town

Crazy odds; Man hit twice by tornadoes:What are the odds? Pastor lost two homes to tornadoes in three months, starts over again

Assistant manager Stacy Wells said business has been slow because there are so many volunteers providing supplies to the residents of Rolling Fork.

"But we are here for those needing anything," she said. "Most people are coming in and getting cold things they don't have. Of course, the pharmacy being open is probably the most important thing."

Verna Gibbs of Cary, Miss., a water and wastewater operator for Cary who is in Rolling Fork helping with water restoration and leak repair after the Friday night tornado hit the town, takes a few moments to grab groceries for her family. "We're trying to get some things to keep us going," Gibbs said, Tuesday. The store, Stop-N-Shop, is using a generator to stay open.

She said while the store is at full strength with generator power, Wells is hopeful the utility power is restored soon.

The Bank of Anguilla, which most people in the area use, has four locations for customers. The main branch in Anguilla, five miles North of Rolling Fork, was not impacted. Neither were branches in the communities of Cary and Mayersville, and they remain open. While damaged by the storm and without power, the Rolling Fork branch is still open for business on a limited basis.

"Even in the Bank in Rolling Fork, we have a cash drawer outside and we are cashing checks," Andy Anderson, president and CEO of Bank of Anguilla said. "We have a hot spot tied into a computer there and working on it that way. We are trying to get as many folks the money they need as we can."

While there was no electricity at the bank Tuesday afternoon, Anderson said there were three utility trucks parked outside the Rolling Fork branch working to connect lines.

"That's good news. Hopefully, we will have power very soon," Anderson said.

Schools in the area continue to be closed. South Delta High School has been damaged and does not have power. According to an emergency management official, there is no timetable for getting children back in schools. Even schools like South Delta Middle School in Anguilla do not have students as the school is being used as a shelter and staging area for emergency needs.

The local private school, Sharkey Issaquena Academy, was not damaged at all and has power, but it also is being used for the foreseeable future in an emergency capacity.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: 95 percent of Rolling Fork MS has no power after tornado, officials said