County endures rough stretch of storms

Storms packing powerful winds and copious amounts of rain and lightning struck Copiah County on Monday afternoon, then again Tuesday evening. 

Calls into the Copiah County Emergency Management Agency have been in the dozens, said CCEMA Director Randle Drane on Wednesday morning. 

“During Tuesday’s storm event, we fielded over 50 calls that included reports of water over roads, downed trees and powerlines and power outages,” Drane explained.  Copiah County was part of a large number of western Mississippi communities that were placed under a thunderstorm watch during the evening on Tuesday.  But, National Weather Service authorities canceled the watch before the storms erupted.  “That caught us off guard when the watches were canceled,” Drane said.

The official tally from Drane’s office was 16 reports of downed trees, numerous power lines damaged and power outages in several areas.  He noted that no structural damage was reported, nor were any injuries or motor vehicle accidents.

County crews were busy removing storm debris from county roads, while state workers were taking care of state and federal highways, during the night on Tuesday and early Wednesday, Drane said.

Accompanying the high winds was a steady downpour in the affected places.  The official gauge at CCEMA office showed 2.2″ of precipitation, Drane reported.

More storms are expected Wednesday afternoon, but will be less severe, Drane added.  “We should see heavy rain at times with lightning and thunder, but not like what we had Tuesday,” he said.

Area residents are urged to monitor the weather situation using any and all outlets.