JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Saturday, June 24 marks three months since an EF-4 tornado swept through Rolling Fork, leaving a trail of destruction.
Rolling Fork has come a long way with cleanup efforts over the past 90 days. They’re now focused on rebuilding the city they know and love.
“It blew the roof off, the ceiling in the house fell, floors were totally disordered. Believe it or not, we’re moving back into our house this morning. We’ve been out for a while and we’re moving back,” said Lee Thigpen, who lives in Rolling Fork.
The process hasn’t been this smooth for everyone. Viola Toy was injured during the tornado and said she still has shards of glass in her foot. Toy also has holes in her roof, boards on her windows and debris all over her backyard.
“From me being airlifted to the hospital two days after, staying in a hotel, on a walker for a month, to coming back and my house is still the same, I just want some help rebuilding my house and rebuilding my whole neighborhood. I just want some help,” she said.
Toy was one of hundreds of tornado victims that attended a resource fair hosted by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) on the three-month anniversary. FEMA, the American Red Cross, the Small Business Administration and other organizations participated in the event on Saturday.
“We had a lot of people lined up outside the door this morning as we were setting up. That’s beautiful. That’s exactly what we want. We want people Rolling Fork, people in Humphreys County, people who have been affected by the March 24th tornado to know that MEMA is here, we care about you and we will be here to watch Rolling Fork rebuild,” said Malary White, Chief Communications Officer for MEMA.
Although they still have a long road ahead, the community hopes to see Rolling Fork make a full recovery.
“I hope to see it turn beautiful. I want all the buildings, houses and people to come together. That’s what we’ve been doing trying to stay strong. Rolling Fork strong,” said Gwendell Leassear, a resident.