By John Howell
and Rupert Howell

Bubba McCloud’s thoughts on Monday morning were far from Friday’s storm as he read his Bible during his regular private devotional in his home around 8 a.m.

That’s when without any warning a great oak tree came crashing into his roof.
“That’ll bring you to an ‘Amen’ right quick,” McCloud said.

The oak tree had stood majestically on the bank of a Sand Creek tributary opposite McCloud’s home, withstanding even the strong, straight-line winds that caused such damage early Friday, April 4.

But the continued rains through Sunday and Sunday night apparently so saturated the ground that with little or no wind Monday morning, the tree gave way, falling across the creek to strike the south end of McCloud’s home.

“This ground is rotten right now,” Panola County Emergency Management Agency Director Daniel Cole said. “It wouldn’t take much of a wind to topple these trees.”

The impact of the tree on the McCloud home punctured metal roofing, tore away the electrical service connection, and caused structural damage that was reflected with cracks in the exterior brick veneer and interior walls, the homeowner said.

“Lots of good people came out and helped,” he said, acknowledging volunteers who had cleared limbs from the house and who were spreading a blue tarp over the damaged roof area.

Cole said that Monday brought in reports of three more houses and one church damaged from the Friday storm.

No serious injuries were reported April 4 from the early morning front that blew through the region including all of Panola County according to the EMA Director.

Many cell phone users had been awakened by warnings from the National Weather Service warning of possible tornado and storms racing through local zip codes.

Cole said downed trees in roads and on power lines caused most of the local problems but also cited structure damage in his preliminary report on Friday.

The Emergency Management Director said Friday one home on Davis Chapel Road, south and west of Sardis, was badly damaged and Johnson Chapel Church on Old Highway 51 in Courtland was damaged when a tree fell through it.

Mark Whitten showed photos of shed damage at his Nit Wit Rod Shop on Hartzell Road, Courtland.

“Fortunately, they were my cars,” he said of the three vehicles that were damaged by the debris that fell with the structure.

Cole also said over a dozen tarpaulins were distributed to residents with damaged roofs.

Cole also said generators were provided to North Panola Schools so they could use the cafeterias and have hot water at school Friday. He also noted that assistant EM Director Terry Bryant delivered generators to two residents who needed power for breathing machines.

Cole listed other areas of damage as Tocowa, Crenshaw, Harmontown, Coles Point, Sardis—” . . . trees were down everywhere,” he emphasized.

County crews have recently been issued new radio and communication equipment and Cole noted that all agencies were dispatched or redirected as needed.

Panola County’s sheriff department deputies were patrolling during and after the storm. Sheriff Dennis Darby said that he and extra deputies were on call if needed, but the on-duty patrols handled the situation.

Panola County’s Road Department personnel went to work at 3:30 a.m. Friday morning as a vicious squall line on the leading edge of a cold front was moving through the region, downing trees and power lines alike.

Road Department Clerk Bobby Jones said that bridges and other structures were not affected by the storm winds that accompanied the front. Power lines from Tallahatchie Valley or Entergy were sometimes entangled with debris in the roads, he said.

“It wasn’t like it was in an isolated area,” Jones said adding, “We’ve been moving trees all over the county.”

Jones noted that roads were clear for the most part at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association Assistant Manager Marlin Williams said that the worst damage to the cooperative system came in Panola and Tate Counties. Lesser damage was found in Yalobusha and Tallahatchie Counties, he said.

At the height of the storm TVEPA had lost eight major circuit breakers/reclosers, the TVEPA assistant manager said. “Initial count for broken poles is 18, but may be slightly more,” Williams added.

Entergy spokesman George Cossar said that his company’s distribution equipment from Como all the way up to Tate County line suffered damage. The other major area of outages were east of Sardis where lights were out from the substation east of town all the way to the State Park totaling 209 customers. 

Cossar said five additional contract crews assisted in power restoration.