A little over eight months after a devastating tornado wiped out much of Rolling Fork, Good Morning America has returned to the Delta town with Mississippi native Robin Roberts leading the national broadcast.
Roberts, who began her career at WDAM in Hattiesburg, first visited South Delta High School’s campus in late April to showcase the impact the EF-4 tornado had on the community and raise money for disaster recovery relief.
After the show highlighted stories of those impacted, Roberts presented $10,000 in gift cards from Double Quick and a $20,000 check from Big Lots for recovery efforts.
Within 24 hours of the “Mississippi Strong” broadcast, GMA announced that $150,000 in donations had been collected from numerous nonprofits and viewers for repairs to be made throughout Rolling Fork.
Now, Roberts and company have returned to the Magnolia State to give an update on how the town has recovered since the severe storms swept through Rolling Fork.
“We really made a commitment and we are just so in awe of how they are helping one another and how our viewers have really come in to help as well,” Roberts said. “Thank you and bless you for your resilience and your strengths and perseverance and for showing America that you are Mississippi strong.”
During Wednesday’s broadcast, GMA revealed that 84 Lumber will be donating $25,000 in supplies and $100,000 in funds to the nonprofit Rolling Fork Rising in an effort to build more homes for families impacted by the storms.
Approximately 68 percent of Rolling Fork residents were renters before the severe storms in March, leaving nearly 800 individuals without homes. At this time, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) estimates that 36 residents are still without a permanent place to call home.
