I have been working with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency a couple weeks ago on getting some brochures for 2021 on severe weather awareness with the hurricane season upon us. There are a lot of effects that our area experiences from these tropical storms in the form of flash flooding, winds, tornadoes, and severe weather. The 2020 brochures have been available at city halls and courthouses throughout the county.
Last Thursday morning when the Carroll County Emergency Operations Center called me at 4:51 a.m. with a notification on flood waters, I knew it would be bad. We have been through these flooding events in the last couple of years. Back in 2019, there was widespread damage throughout Carroll County and much of this state due to flooding.
After the call from the Carroll County EOC, I met District 4 Supervisor Claude Fluker and began assessing the flooding. I am a lifelong resident here; I have never seen flooding to the degree that this community received. There have been countless people older than me that have said they have never seen Big Sand Creek banks as flooded with a total overflow from the bank like it was last week.
Over the course of history, this area of Mississippi has seen no shortage of natural disasters. Since 2019, Carroll County and the three municipalities of Carrollton, North Carrollton, and Vaiden have signed proclamation of existence of a local emergency and resolution requesting the governor to proclaim a state of emergency each year. These proclamations and resolutions are the first steps in recovery with hopes of a state declaration leading to being in the running for a federal declaration.
This year alone, we have already experienced severe winter weather, severe storms, and flash flooding. While all the emergency services in this area are committed to overseeing our emergency response for any disaster that strikes, preparedness is important.
That’s why through the years, we have programs to bring awareness from brochures to programs at the schools like the MEMA4 Kids that we brought to Carroll County in 2019. I urge you to protect yourself and your family and make sure you are prepared for any severe weather that comes our way. It’s important to take advantage of this Mississippi Emergency Management Agency emergency preparedness guide and have necessary plans in place to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.
One needs to look no further than last Thursday when rain fell so fast and in such quantity that it breached the dam of Gee Lake here in Carroll County. Through all of this, the local level responded, signed the appropriate declarations and is currently working on damage assessments. That is the aftermath of a disaster where recovery will last a long time but we are resilient, strong, and determined. I thought about last Thursday in the early morning hours before daylight preparedness is essential because things can change so fast in a short time. We can look no further than last week.
Ken Strachan serves as the mayor of North Carrollton and is a member of the Mississippi Municipal League board of directors.
