ROLLING FORK: What is needed & how to help in recovery
Published 4:13 pm Sunday, March 26, 2023
- Debris is strewn across the ground on Walnut Street in Rolling Fork following the tornado that struck the town on Friday. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)
UPDATE, Monday, March 27: The shelter located at the National Guard Armory in Rolling Fork has been relocated to South Delta Elementary School. All services including hot meals will still be provided.
Residents and local officials, assisted by volunteers and officials from neighboring counties, tried to return to some sense of normal on Sunday in Rolling Fork as the recovery continued in the wake of Friday’s tornado.
The cyclone devastated the town as it cut a path through Mississippi.
“We have 13 confirmed fatalities and the search continues for others,” Warren County Emergency Management Director John Elfer said. Elfer, who is assisting in the recovery, said he did not know how many people remain missing.
He said work continued to restore power and other utilities to the town, adding, “We’re receiving a large response.”
He said two shelters have been opened in the area at Rolling Fork First Baptist Church and the community center at the National Guard Armory in Rolling Fork.
Also, a distribution center for supplies has been established at Sharkey-Issaquena Academy.
“They don’t need donations of commodities,” Elfer said. “They have enough commodities. What they need is people to distribute them.”
Volunteers are encouraged to report to the donation center.