NWS surveying tornado damage in Jackson County; community working on recovery
GAUTIER, Miss. (WXXV) — Communities in Jackson County are working on recovery after two tornadoes blew through Gautier and Pascagoula, affecting businesses and residents Sunday morning. Forecasters with the National Weather Service are now reviewing the damage.
Some residents have been displaced and others are left picking up the pieces – putting their neighborhoods back together. Forecasters with the National Weather Service out of New Orleans were in Gautier and Pascagoula to get an up close look at the aftermath.
A few residents we spoke with in Gautier say they did not take the tornado warning seriously until it was on top of them. The National Weather Service says that tornadoes can develop in the Fall, though this is an occasional sight. Nonetheless, it is important to take action when warnings are issued.
Just 24 hours after the chaos, people were out on roofs patching holes, cutting limbs with chainsaws, and piling debris.
One Gautier neighborhood was active on multiple streets as crews worked to restore power, and lean roads and front yards of homes affected. One home still had a tree laying on the roof.
Earl Etheridge, Director of Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in Jackson County tells WXXV that as of Monday morning, 12 homes in Pascagoula were impacted by the storm, which also caused several downed trees in the area. The NWS says preliminary reports show the Pascagoula tornado was most likely an EF-0, but official reports should be available soon.
