The city of Moss Point has allocated $2 million for recovery costs following the EF-2 tornado that ripped through the town in mid-June.
On Wednesday, the Moss Point Board of Aldermen voted in favor of using the funds to pay for debris pickup and other cleaning services throughout the community.
Mayor Billy Knight explained during the meeting that the city will cover the costs for the time being until they receive a notice from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
“This was a local tornado, meaning that it only hit Moss Point and because it only hit Moss Point, it makes it even more difficult because it’s difficult to come up with that number that reaches that threshold to get us that declaration,” Knight said during an interview on The Ricky Mathews Show. “Even MEMA, the state declaration, we believe and the governor believes that we’re at that point at $5.2 million.”
In late June, Knight said 341 homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed by the tornado, which had winds reach up to 130 miles per hour. At this time, approximately 18 percent of debris has been collected in Moss Point.
“It was a shock to us because you just can’t prepare for a tornado. With a hurricane, we do have some warning and we have time to prepare,” Knight said. “The concern is how do you deal with this? What do you do the next day?”
Since then, MEMA executive director Stephen McCraney has confirmed that the agency is working to receive emergency declaration status for the entire state.
Knight has released that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be traveling to Moss Point on Friday to further assess damages.
“So we have recommended and asked the president of FEMA, we’ve asked FEMA to come in and evaluate those numbers,” Knight added. “If FEMA comes in and says yes, they agree, then the governor can ask the president to declare this a federal disaster. With that declaration, that means our people can get some individual help.”
