The Jasper County Board of Supervisors made a Proclamation of the Existence of a Local Emergency Wednesday morning. The proclamation allows them to request aid from the state to help with clean-up and recovery from Sunday’s violent tornado.
District 5 Supervisor Curtis Gray Sr. said the next step is to get an estimate of the tonnage of debris on the ground and then seek quotes for clean-up. The supervisors are also considering hiring a “debris monitor” to oversee the county’s clean-up project. According to the supervisors, they have used such monitoring companies in the past, and their work helped the county get reimbursement from the state more rapidly.
The board also is trying to determine where to haul the debris as it is picked up. They will likely designate one site near Heidelberg and another closer to the Moss Community. The sites will have to be approved by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. In order for the debris to be burned, the sites must be located at least 1,500 feet from an occupied dwelling or the county will have to use a “forced air burn” to push the fire and smoke away from the dwelling.
Jasper County suffered extreme property and landscape damage from the Easter tornado. Still more tragically, the storms that moved through Jasper and Jones counties, and affected 28 more Mississippi counties, caused the loss of life and multiple injuries.
Jasper County Emergency Management Director Mike Lucas stated that he believes Mississippi stands a good chance of receiving federal disaster aid, since so many counties were hit by the Easter storms.