County operations returning to normal

Things are getting back to normal at the Neshoba County Emergency Operations Center after last week’s ice storms that at one point left most of Neshoba County without power.

From midnight Monday until Friday night Neshoba 911 received well over 835 emergency calls to 911, said Emergency Management Director Darrell Wilson. 

That is double the call volume. “To me, this ice storm reminds me of Katrina as far as the power outage was concerned,” he said. “We didn’t have the structural damage that we did in the 2019 tornadoes. But there were a lot of trees in the road.”

Wilson said the back-to-back winter storms on Monday and Wednesday nights kept emergency workers busy.

“They were just about to see the light at the end of the tunnel Wednesday evening when the second storm hit. That knocked out power for most of the county,” Wilson said. 

“I will say this. The workers at Central Electric Power Association have been out in the freezing cold, trying to get the power restored. They have busted it,” Wilson said. 

“They have had a lot of lines down, poles broken and blown transformers. There are still people without power but that number is going down. I ask people to be patient with them.”

The county’s volunteer fire departments stepped up and helped to keep the roads clear of fallen trees, Wilson said.

“Our volunteers in the county are a big asset,” Wilson said. “I appreciate everything that they do. At times, we can get them on scene a lot quicker then we can get a county crew. 

They can get a small tree cut up and out of the way before the county crew can get to the building to get the saws.”

Among the hardest-hit Tribal communities were Bogue Chitto and Tucker where the power was out for more than eight days in some instances.  

Tribal facilities were offered as warming centers. Shelters, some with kitchena access, were available in the Bogue Chitto, Conehatta, Pearl River and Tucker communities.

Precautionary boil water notices were still in effect on Monday in some Tribal communities including Pearl River.

Choctaw Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben on Sunday reported that over 80 additional employees from electric cooperatives in Mississippi, Alabam and Arkansas were assisting Central Electric with restoration efforts.

About 7,142 Central Electric customers were still without power on Sunday and an estimated 600 of those were Tribal member homes, Ben said.

Tribal members were able to claim reimbursements for hotel and other out-of-pocket expenses during the storm, Ben announced on Monday.

Pearl River Resort never lost power and was able to provide shelter for many.