County requests aid from state to cover costs associated with severe wind storms

Published 8:00 am Tuesday, March 7, 2023

The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution proclaiming the recent wind storms a “local emergency” Monday in an attempt to secure relief funds from the state.

The state of Mississippi issues relief to counties and municipalities dealing with severe weather or other emergencies that rise to the criteria of a “state of emergency.”

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency issued a report on Friday that outlined the extent of property damage in Itawamba, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc and Yazoo counties. It also reported one fatality in Yazoo resulting from a tree falling on a vehicle and warned Mississippians to stay vigilant with more high winds in the forecast in coming weeks.

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The county is seeking funds to help fulfill overtime requests from emergency workers who spent nearly a week cleaning up fallen debris and repairing damage to property.