HERNANDO, Miss. — Broken limbs were scattered across north Mississippi after strong storms passed through DeSoto County, and the entire Mid-South, early Sunday.
The mayor and Board of Alderman of Hernando declared a local emergency during a special meeting at 8:10 a.m., Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson said in a Facebook post.
Downed powerlines, broken tree limbs, and debris covered the neighborhood surrounding West Commerce Street in Hernando.
No injuries were reported, but residents rallied together to tackle what will be a lengthy cleanup process.
Johnson said his city had been “hit pretty hard” in a Facebook post.
WREG Weather Experts noted the storm carried powerful straight-line winds that could have caused damage. The National Weather Service has not confirmed any tornadoes.
At one point, Entergy reported thousands of customers were without power in Desoto County, and many were in Hernando.
Johnson said power lines were down and trees were blocking many roads. He asked people to avoid the area between court square and the interstate.
He said DeSoto County EMA had tarps for those in need. They were available in Hernando at Fire Station #1 on the back side of City Hall.
Ella Burkley says when she looked outside, her home was completely covered in tree limbs knocked down by the storm.
“It was about 5 a.m. and I just hear like this pounding on my windows, and I just shoot out of bed,” Burkley said.
She says instead of celebrating her father for Father’s Day, they’re going to be spending the day cleaning up.
“He was planning on going to the store and getting some steaks to cook. You know just grilling out, enjoying his day off, and so, that’s not going to happen,” she said.
Wiley Tuggle, 83, said he was sleep when the storm passed over his home, but he was rudely awakened by the debris that came flying into his house.
“It seemed like the sky fell out,” Tuggle said. “Storm came. The wind blew hard. Lights went out.”
Tuggle says the winds caused a part of his neighbor’s fence to come flying across his backyard and through his bedroom window. He says he sleeps underneath this window but he was not injured by any of the debris.
Desoto County Emergency Services says crews are assessing damage and the cleanup process is ongoing.