Damage assessments continue across the state following the impact of Hurricane Ida, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is sharing its latest update.
The storm made landfall last Sunday as a Category 4 storm in Louisiana, and its impact was felt throughout Mississippi.
So far, MEMA is reporting that a total of 380 homes were impacted. Of that total, five were “destroyed” and 42 had “major” damage. Initial reports also show 133 public roads and 73 bridges were impacted across the state.
MEMA notes that these are initial numbers and are likely to change in the upcoming days as officials work with counties to complete initial damage assessments.
Among the affected roads was Highway 26 in George County between Wiggins and Lucedale. The washout of the road resulted in the tragic deaths of two individuals and 10 others were injured.
If residents need immediate resources, they can contact their county EMA director or call MEMA’s Hurricane Ida hotline at 1-888-574-3583 Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 7 PM for assistance. Louisiana residents sheltering in Mississippi can call 1-800-621-3362 for FEMA assistance or 1-800-755-5175 for additional shelter and resource information. More information about available resources for Louisiana residents can be found here.
Additionally, MEMA continues to fulfill resource requests from the counties. Throughout the entirety of this event, MEMA has distributed a total of 203,000 sandbags, 151,200 bottles of water, 850 tarps and 1,044 meals to support Hurricane Ida response efforts across the State.
Mississippians who experienced damage to their homes should document the damage via pictures and file an insurance claim. Residents are also encouraged to submit damage reports to their County EMA Director or online using MEMA’s self-report tool. Please note that MEMA’s self-report tool is strictly a data-collection tool to help conduct damage assessments and NOT an application for financial assistance.
