KEMPER COUNTY, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Severe weather caused widespread damage and power outages across Kemper County Wednesday evening, leaving downed trees and power lines and utility crews facing repairs expected to continue through the night.
The Kemper County Sheriff’s Office reported multiple trees and power lines down throughout the county following storms that moved through the area Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Sheriff James R. Moore urged residents to stay off the roads unless travel was absolutely necessary as emergency personnel, road crews and utility workers responded to the damage.
As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, damage assessment teams had located at least 10 broken utility poles, according to East Mississippi Electric Power Association. Officials said that number could increase as crews continued assessing damage throughout the area.
EMEPA said all available crews had been called in to assess damage, make repairs and restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Crews were expected to work through the night as restoration efforts continued.
Widespread outages were reported after severe thunderstorms moved through portions of Kemper and Lauderdale counties Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service in Jackson issued a severe thunderstorm warning earlier Wednesday for portions of both counties. At 6:05 p.m., a severe thunderstorm was located near De Kalb and moving south at about 30 mph.
The storm was capable of producing wind gusts of up to 60 mph, with the potential for damage to trees, roofs and siding.
Communities in the path of the storm included De Kalb, Meridian, Collinsville, Marion, Nellieburg, Toomsuba, Meridian Station, Lauderdale, Porterville, Blackwater, Tamola, Damascus, Martin, Meehan, Liberty, Prismatic, Kewanee, Suqualena, Alamucha and Daleville.
Residents should continue to use caution around downed trees and power lines as cleanup and power restoration efforts continue. EMEPA customers can view current outages or report an outage through the utility’s app or outage map at EMEPA.com.
Additional information on the extent of the damage and restoration efforts is expected as crews continue working.
