The top concern the residents say is the issue of displaced people who have nowhere to call home. According to the American Red Cross, nearly 300 Rolling Fork are living in hotel/motel properties in northern Mississippi.
With nothing but the clothes on her back, Janett Barnes says she is preparing to say goodbye to her beloved hometown of Rolling Fork, Mississippi.
Residents are still picking up the pieces and trying to navigate their road to recovery over four months later.Barnes, who was a renter in Rolling Fork, says the home she was living in was destroyed. In a matter of seconds – she lost everything. With most of the hotels used for temporary housing located miles outside of Rolling Fork, many people, like Barnes, have decided to forgo emergency housing to stay with relatives in town.PHOTO: In this March 31, 2023, file photo, President Joe Biden speaks in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, as First Lady Jill Biden and Federal Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell look on.
Barnes says she received $2,000 from FEMA for her property loss and an additional $1,500 for living assistance. That support, along with housing assistance provided by American Red Cross, and clothing donations from generous donors, have been a lifeline, she says."I know with hope I'll make it," Barnes says, "I'm not going to give up."
"This is an ongoing project. This is not a quick fix to what we're going through here in this community," Mayor Eldridge Walker told ABC News. "I think we need to be a little more patient. And understand that a build back for a community is going to take proper planning, strategic planning…that's our number one priority."
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'This is my home': Residents fight to save their Mississippi town after devastating tornadoA tornado in March took a direct path across Rolling Fork – a small rural farming town with a population of 1,800 -- leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.
Read more »
Mississippi Stories: Vivian O'NealOn this episode of Mississippi Stories, editor-at-large Marshall Ramsey visits with 2023 Miss Mississippi Vivian O'Neal about her book Josiah's Big Day.
Read more »
Marshall Ramsey: Shark Week!The latest from Marshall Ramsey: Shark Week!
Read more »
'Barbenheimer' box office sales keep rolling in second weekendWarner Bros' 'Barbie' showed no signs of slowing down in its second weekend at the box office, and was set to haul in $93 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday, according to estimates from media analytics firm Comscore.
Read more »
Tribune Editorial: Carbon capture is worth a look, but let’s get those free buses rollingEditorial Board: 'Utah’s political class has long ignored, or actively denied, the threat of climate change. But there are signs that a realization may be dawning and some things are happening.'
Read more »