Storm batters area, damages dog shelter|[02/13/08]

Up to a dozen dogs were left out in the cold and rain Tuesday when a section of roof was ripped off the local humane society’s shelter during a storm.

The same roof on the outside pens at the Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society’s U.S. 61 South facility had been replaced after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“This is the last thing we needed,” said a frustrated and tearful Georgia Lynn, president of the humane society. “I know the loss of these few dog kennels doesn’t sound like a big deal, but we’re so limited on space and overcrowded as it is.”

The storm front that moved through south Warren County Tuesday also knocked out power to about 1,100 Port Gibson customers, and about 400 of those remained with out electricity this morning, Entergy customer service representative Don Arnold said.

The outage put Claiborne County’s 911 dispatch system out of business for nearly two hours, said Lois Chess with the Claiborne County Dispatch Center. All Claiborne 911 calls had to be routed to Warren County’s center, where Director Michael Gaul said this morning five Claiborne calls were received.

“It could have really been a lot worse for us,” he said.

In Warren County, the E-911 center received six reports of tree limbs down, and Arnold said about 300 Entergy customers in southern Warren County were without power for about three hours.

Claiborne County Sheriff Frank Davis and Madison Parish Chief Deputy Sammie Byrd said both areas had property and tree damage, but no injuries were reported.

Chad Entromont, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said Tuesday’s storm intensified about the time it crossed the Mississippi River and came into the state in late morning. The storm reached its maximum as it approached the Jackson Metro and Brookhaven areas. Entromont said winds as high as 90 mph were recorded in some parts of the state. The National Weather Service said it received one report of a tornado at 12:47 p.m. in Pearl, but no injuries were reported.

In Vicksburg, .94 inch of rainfall was recorded.

Today’s forecast called for clear skies with temperatures in the mid-40s.

Lynn said she didn’t know how much a replacement roof will cost at the shelter, but she knows it will put a dent in funds squirreled away for an addition to the current facility.

“It’s not just the roofing that needs to be replaced, it’s the whole thing now,” Lynn said. “The entire structure has been compromised. It was needing to be replaced anyway, but we were hoping we could hold off until we did the addition.”

Lynn said the affected dogs were transferred to the Mississippi Animal Rescue League in Jackson.