Salem Church, Tylertown, sustained tornado damage on March 15. The church lost its steeple and had roof damage.
Tornadoes wreak havoc in Tylertown, Miss.
By Tony Martin, Baptist Record
TYLERTOWN, Miss. — Tornadoes struck Mississippi on March 14 and 15, leaving a path of destruction. In Tylertown and the surrounding area, homes and businesses were destroyed, lives were upended and four people were killed.
According to Hubert Yates, director of the Disaster Relief Department at the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, the storms caused damage in multiple counties.
“We’re assessing multiple counties with damage, including Grenada, Leflore, Sharkey, Issaquena, Pike, Walthall, Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, Covington, Smith, Simpson, Jasper, Clarke and Lamar,” Yates said. “Our response is focusing on the three most concentrated damage sites: Elliott in Grenada County, Taylorsville in Smith County and Tylertown in Walthall County.
“There may be additional needs identified in some of the other counties, but I think it will be minimal. We will be using a drive-in/drive-out response model in that the teams are within an hour’s drive of home and prefer to sleep in their own beds. With daylight saving time, it is more feasible to use this response model, reducing the need for shower, feeding and housing of volunteers.”
Carl Myers, retired associational mission strategist for the Pearl River Association, served as the Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief (MSBDR) initial assessment interviews and visits with local emergency management officials, including the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), associational and church leaders. At that time, the organization anticipated receiving approximately 40 additional requests for assistance. There were 12 active requests for help.
“We got started with sending out Temple Church [Hattiesburg] yesterday,” Myers said. “Their chainsaw team found a destroyed street and they worked all day yesterday. I would say they did probably about 10 locations or 10 jobs, and that was from inside the city limits. Then today, we’re working with two assessor teams, and they’re from Flora Church. We’ve got them working southwest and northeast of Tylertown.”
Salem Church, located in the Salem community northwest of Tylertown, sustained roof damage and lost its steeple. No injuries were reported.
Governor visits tornado zone
Gov. Tate Reeves toured the damage in Tylertown and spoke briefly at Tylertown Church.
“We have 23 counties across Mississippi that have received significant damage, and we have assessment teams in virtually every one of those counties doing those assessments,” Reeves said. “Obviously, here in Walthall County, where we find ourselves today — a place that’s very special to me and my family — we find ourselves in one of the hardest-hit communities in Mississippi.
“It’s really a difficult time, but during these times, we also see the best of Mississippians — people getting up and helping themselves and helping their neighbors,” Reeves continued. “And I’ll tell you, those individuals that are situated throughout this mobile command center give me inspiration to do my job. And I see the volunteers that are here that just show up — may or may not know anybody in the community — the Red Cross, the Baptist associations, that are just here to help.”
Also on Monday, response teams were present from the Lincoln County Association, including Pike Association and First Church, Brookhaven, as well as the Pearl River Association.
Tennessee first lady serves with Tennessee Baptist DR
By Baptist and Reflector staff
NEWPORT, Tenn. — Working alongside non-profits serving those affected by Hurricane Helene is a priority of Tennessee Serves, an initiative headed by Tennessee’s First Lady Maria Lee.
Lee and a team of volunteers worked alongside a Knox County Association of Baptists Disaster Relief team to help restore a house damaged by flooding when the French Broad River overflowed its banks and covered more than 600 feet of floodplain last September.
“I’ve lived here 54 years,” said homeowner H.C. Southerland. “I’ve never seen the water anywhere close to my house until the afternoon Helene hit. By the time it was done, that water covered all that distance and got high enough in my house to cover all the electrical outlets.
The DR team, along with Lee’s volunteers, hung sheetrock, laid flooring and removed debris.
“I think just bringing attention to what nonprofits are doing, like Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, brings encouragement,” said Lee, the wife of governor Bill Lee, about the Tennessee Serves initiative. “I believe if we’re going to follow Jesus, we’re going to serve. That’s what He did. And getting out and partnering with nonprofits, getting out and serving by example, reminds our neighbors they are not alone.”
Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have invested 6,671 service hours since Jan. 1 and have completed more than 110 jobs in East Tennessee as part of the Arise and Build initiative.
“There is still so much to do in the coming months,” said Wes Jones, state TBDR director. “There are plenty of opportunities to serve and those interested can visit TNDisasterRelief.org/AriseandBuild for more information or to financially contribute to the recovery effort.”
