By Billy Davis

Panola Countians who were affected by the late-April storms that produced tornadoes and sweeping floods may be eligible for financial assistance from FEMA.

The federal agency cleared Panola County for individual assistance last week, said Daniel Cole, Panola EMA director.

Financial assistance from FEMA ranges from rental assistance and home repair to helping defray repair costs for an automobile with hail damage.

The phone number to register for help is 1-800-621-FEMA.

“You receive a letter in the mail and a good bit of paperwork,” Cole explained. The documents include a loan application that must be filled out for grant money, he said.

Most of Mississippi endured two days of fast-moving storms, on April 26 and April 27, that produced powerful tornadoes and fast-moving floodwaters.  

Twenty-nine Mississippi counties were designated for individual assistance after the storms.

Lives were spared in Panola County, where 60 people were displaced by floodwaters, and 16 homes were destroyed and 15 others were heavily damaged.

FEMA is operating 15 disaster recovery centers in the state to help people whose homes or businesses were affected by the storms. The closest to Panola County is in Tunica County, in Dundee.

Cole said Panola County government and its municipalities were cleared Monday for financial assistance from FEMA, which pays for road repairs and overtime pay among other costs.  
Sixty-one public roads were damaged throughout Panola County, county officials have said.