Tornado hits Sharkey County on eve of anniversary of Rolling Fork tragedy
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SHARKEY COUNTY, Mississippi (WAPT) — Sharkey County residents are marking the two-year anniversary of the deadly tornadoes that struck Rolling Fork and surrounding areas.
Adding insult to injury, the area was hit by another tornado on Sunday.
“I could see the tornado approaching from the south,” said Frank Eason, Sharkey County EMA director. “I could actually see it twirling.”
Over the weekend, Eason and his wife went from responding to storms to hiding from one when a tornado hit their home.
“I went through the Rolling Fork tornado two years ago; I didn’t lose a limb on my yard when it went to Issaquena County,” Eason said. “When it hits home, it chokes you up.”
Last week, a tornado struck nearby in Issaquena County. On March 24, 2023, nearby Rolling Fork was laid to waste by an EF-4 twister that claimed lives, homes, and businesses. In town, city leaders and residents were remembering those lost lives Monday.
“Rebuilding is a lengthy process,” said Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker.
They are marking the recovery effort with plans for a new city administration building and a storm safe room. It is a slow recovery, the mayor admits, but there are more homes and businesses being rebuilt.
“And everybody in this community who was thinking we could do something in two or three years, that’s not happening,” Walker said. “This process is lengthy and it’s going to take time.”
The latest estimate is that the area’s population is at 65% of where it was before the storm two years ago. Rolling Fork Rising is a group building homes and financing them at 0% interest to try and attract more people back.
“This carport was completely damaged, my storage shed and metal building had damage,” Eason said. “Even my EMA truck got damaged.”
But for the Easons, they marked that two-year anniversary, noting that the third storm to hit this area in the past two years was not nearly as bad.
“I thank God I am alive, we can fix the house but I just thank God I am alive,” said Franchester Eason.
The repair work is well underway and will take a little time, but not nearly as much as what is required in the wake of that Rolling Fork tornado. Leaders think it will take five years to fully recover.
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