EMA Director Updates Supervisors During Monday’s Meeting
Showers are available at the Multi-Purpose Building in Coffeeville.
Yalobusha County EMA Director Stewart Spence said Winter Storm Fern left the county “devastated” and early response efforts focused on simply reaching residents in need.
“In the beginning, the downed trees were the biggest obstacles,” Spence told supervisors Monday. “Ambulances couldn’t get down the roads, so deputies had to pick up patients and bring them to the ambulances.”
Spence said that was the starting point for the county’s emergency response.
Through mutual aid, the county brought in three additional ambulance companies to help handle medical calls. He said that to date, nearly all county roads have at least a single pass cleared, though some areas remain difficult to navigate due to downed power lines.
“We’ve cleared a path on just about every road,” Spence said. “You might have to weave a little, but access is there.”
Spence said the county continues to receive outside assistance, including three EMA directors from South Mississippi, with a fourth arriving this week, along
with two National Guard liaisons and a FEMA liaison working in-house.
Supplies are arriving and are being distributed through the Disaster Relief Center located at the Multi-Purpose Building in Coffeeville. Spence said available supplies at the center currently include limited water, coats, gloves, snack foods and some propane, though heaters remain unavailable.
“We’re getting supplies in every day, just not as fast as we’d like,” he said. “Depending on what we have, we may be limited on what we can give out, but we’re working on it all day, every day.”
Shower units are also set up at the Multi-Purpose Building, providing up to eight showers for residents who need them.
Meal service is ongoing through volunteer and partner organizations, with operations producing between 600 and 700 meals per day. Sheriff’s Department volunteers have helped deliver supplies to residents who cannot leave their homes.
“We still have people in this county who can’t get out of their driveways,” Spence said. “Just bear with us. We’re doing the best we can.”
Residents needing assistance are encouraged to contact dispatch or reach out through the EMA’s Facebook page, Yalobusha County, MS Emergency Management, which Spence said the county continues to monitor for requests.
