If the governor's request is approved, Tallahatchie County residents who sustained property damage due to severe weather on March 30 will be able to seek federal individual assistance to aid their recovery efforts.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that Gov. Tate Reeves has requested a major disaster declaration from President Joe Biden for individual assistance for people in Bolivar, Coahoma, Greene, Lauderdale, Noxubee, Panola, Tallahatchie and Wayne counties.
According to the National Weather Service, 33 tornadoes swept through the state that day, causing major damage to homes and injuring three people, MEMA noted in a news release.
Validated numbers show that in these eight counties, there were 85 homes destroyed or with major damage, and estimates place the property damage at more than $1 million, added MEMA.
In the immediate aftermath of March 30, Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency said there were local reports of 46 structures having been damaged, including 24 within the city of Charleston and 22 elsewhere in eastern Tallahatchie County. Five residences were said to have been destroyed and three suffered major damage, according to those early estimates.
In a preliminary ruling, local EMA officials said the damage was caused by straight-line winds. On April 5, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service in Memphis told The Sun-Sentinel they would be reviewing security cam footage, photos and other available evidence before making a final determination on the nature of the Tallahatchie County storm.
During a follow-up conversation, a spokesperson for the NWS in Memphis on April 30 confirmed the local EMA's initial ruling, stating, "The Tallahatchie damage was considered straight-line wind damage. From the looks of the damage, it was likely in the 75-80 mph range."
If the president approves the disaster declaration, individual assistance would be available for residents in declared counties and could include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals recover from the effects of a disaster.
The president must approve the request for federal assistance to become available to local and county governments and certain nonprofits.
MEMA noted that at the time of its Friday morning news release, no federal assistance was available to homeowners due to this weather event.
Editor's note: This story was updated on May 2, 2022, to include the National Weather Service's finding that the March 30 storm damage in Tallahatchie County was caused by straight-line winds.
