The event was intended to be the third and final stop of a small tour Representative Bennie Thompson made to communities impacted by storms last month. It was held in a church building in the small town of Winona, and the room was so full that people were standing against the walls.
Thompson was not present because of a last-minute conflict, but district director Fannie Ware appeared on his behalf. She acknowledged that many in the community were "in a fog," but encouraged them to persevere.
"We gotta shake it off and move forward." she said. "I know it's easy when I can say that standing up here, and I'm going home to get in bed. "But we have got to do these things and we got to see it through."
Ware also invited residents to reach out to Thompson's office specifically if they needed to.
"So I encourage you and I know the congressman encourages you, when you run into things that you really just can't overcome, call our office and we'll help you get through it."
Representatives from relief organizations took turns sharing information at the event. Todd Demuth, State Coordinating Officer for MEMA, urged everyone present to apply for FEMA relief.
"When you get a call that you don't recognize, especially in the next coming weeks, don't do like I do or most people do and... let it go or ignore it." he said. "I ask that you do answer those calls... Those folks are gonna make sure you have the products you need, make sure you have the paperwork you need. They're going to hold your hand, for lack of better term, through this entire process until we can get all the folks that are currently displaced back into a home that is suitable going forward."
But residents present at the event expressed frustration with the help being offered. One man said during the Q&A segment that he had been waiting on his insurance to help him for weeks. Dominique Christian came to discuss her specific case with officials, saying the process wasn't as simple as they made it sound.
"I actually came to see what they was doing about FEMA because I've had problems with it," she said. "I done applied several times but they needed verification of my identity or whatever and I sent all that in... I'm planning on talking to someone after this anyway."
A representative from the Small Business Association was also present at the meeting to tell business owners that they could apply for a disaster loan to get back on track. But many people at the meeting, like Eveorn Williams, say a loan isn't feasible for them.
"I'm too old to borrow money, I'm 65." she said. They keep telling me that it's reasonable... That it'll take 30 years. I said, girl, we ain't even got 30 years left here... I can't do it. So we just been going through a lot. Me and my son, we're trying our best."
FEMA officials at the Town Hall say the deadline to apply for assistance is May 25th.
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