Tornadoes and high winds destroy small Black town Mississippi
Photo submitted
By BlackMansStreet.Today
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire
Tornadoes and severe storms destroyed the mostly Black town of Rolling Fork, where Muddy Waters was born in Mississippi, knocking over homes, and businesses and leaving survivors devastated by the damage.
An estimated 26 people were killed by the tornadoes and high winds in Rolling Fork and the surrounding areas of Silver City and Winona earlier this month, as storms drilled through one of the poorest regions of the rural South.
President Joe Biden declared the state a major disaster area and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in all affected areas.
Biden’s action releases federal funding to counties in Carrol, Humphreys, Monroe, and Sharkey.
The tornado uprooted trees, dropping them on cars and onto the rooftops of homes and businesses.
The assistance can cover temporary housing, home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the devastation.
The population of Rolling Fork is 1,392 and is just over 79 percent Black. There are 423 Whites who live in Rolling Fork.
