Video: Tornado Damage Pushes Mississippi Town to Help Each Other

The Holmes County city of Durant, Mississippi is hit hard by April 30 tornado.

Clean up is underway and the community of Durant, Mississippi is coming together to help care for each other.  Trees were uprooted and power lines fell as the worst storm the town has ever seen went through Holmes County Sunday night. 

Many residents were taken by surprise.

Resident Kayla Davis said, “I was in church and the lights kept flicking out and that’s when I knew, ‘Oh my God,  when it hit, our church like shook a little bit.”

Residents say the tornado sounded like a train sweeping through the town in a frightening episode that lasted almost 30 minutes. Although some residents had only minor damage, entire homes and even lives were lost.

Still, Mayor Tasha Boyette-Davis said they’ve found some comfort in the aftermath of the storm.

“Thankfully and gratefully, the citizens have pulled together and we’ve become as one,” Boyette-Davis said. “We’ve pulled together; people are helping each other out, neighbors are helping neighbors, we’ve had neighboring counties and communities and towns to come in and assist us. It’s just been a wonderful experience as far as the cleanup part.” 

The townspeople are doing as much as they can on their own as they await certification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in order to receive outside aid. As for now, the residents alone are doing all of the work they can to revive their small city.

Boyette-Davis adds, “You know it’s hard, we have no electricity. Everyone is without lights unless you have a generator.”

Story contributed by Jules Marcantonio: jsmarca1@go.olemiss.edu.