Many residents in northeast Jackson spent the weekend preparing their homes for the rising flood waters or assisted their neighbors in those efforts.
The city has given out thousands of sandbags and provided sand to fill them, and locations remain open today for anyone needing additional flood prevention. Kameron Harris of Jackson says he’s getting some bags for his mom whose home was flooded in 2020.
“Well the water got all the way in the house,” says Harris. “It’s not as bad as it was during that time in 2020, it was actually unexpected. This time we’re a little bit more prepared.”
Just a few blocks away is a neighborhood that became almost inaccessible on Sunday with water covering roads. The site was visited by several state, county and local officials to assess the damage and speak with residents. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says this remains a dangerous situation for many living along the Pearl River.
“There is some slightly good news that the latest projections predict that it won’t get as high as 36 feet, and so we’re prayerful that that does not happen, and hopefully there can be more property actually spared in that process,” says Mayor Lumumba. But he continues, saying even a handful of houses that may be flooded will be a handful of houses too many.
Large pickup trucks and moving vans were still able to navigate some roads yesterday afternoon. Neighborhood resident Shawn Miller is helping ferry passengers to and from their houses with his truck as a way he can help his neighbors secure their homes.
Miller says “The guys in the community are trying to help everybody else who needs assistance because we’re a tight-knit community and some people were trying to hold out and last-minute realizing that they can’t hold out. So it’s a little frustrating and a little stressful but we’re all trying to keep busy and support each other.”
Emergency responders, police and electricians are working in the area to help keep residents safe, and officials ask that people from unaffected areas avoid traveling in flood zones to help keep roadways clear.
