PICAYUNE —
U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., stopped at Picayune’s City Hall to meet with local officials before touring the city to see the damage caused by Hurricane Isaac.
The senator was briefed on what the city and the county had to deal with in the wake of record flooding across the county and city.
Pearl River County Emergency Management Director Danny Manley said close to 200 people had to be rescued from flooded homes and neighborhoods, and almost every road in the county experienced some kind of flooding. Manley estimates Picayune received about 20 inches of rain during Hurricane Isaac’s stay. City engineer Brooks Wallace has reported that 22 inches of rain was measured at the city’s waste water treatment plant over the three days the storm lingered.
Currently, there are only three homes within Picayune without power, and that is because they are too badly damaged for power to be restored to them, said Picayune Fire Chief Keith Brown. Disaster Recovery Centers are up and operating in both Picayune and Poplarville and so far more than 200 applications for federal and state aid have been submitted in Picayune alone.
On Tuesday, city officials met with Craig Fugate, FEMA’s Administrator, who said he is working to streamline the process for the municipality to recoup storm-related expenses.
Area roads have taken a beating, not just from floodwaters, but also from the heavy vehicles used to rescue Westchester residents. The heavy vehicles caused base damage and the water then relocated the loosened asphalt, most notably along Beech Street.
“It sounds to me like you’ve come through a serious challenge to the community,” Cochran said.
Wednesday morning Mississippi Department of Transportation employees were on Beech Street repairing damage to the road.
Cochran vowed to help people and officials in the county get the aid they need to recover. Chief Brown mentioned that just about every member of the Mississippi congressional delegation has been through the city to tour the damage.
Flooded homes are expected to produce about 220,000 cubic yards of debris consisting of damaged furniture, appliances and other household items and decor, said Supervisor Patrick Lee.
The damage and financial expense incurred during Hurricane Katrina seven years ago still lingers. County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin said the county still has $3 million in outstanding Federal Disaster Assistance loans to pay. City Clerk Amber Hinton said Picayune also has outstanding debt of $1.5 million from Katrina. Lumpkin asked Cochran to see what he could do to lessen that debt.
Changes to bridges about 40 years ago may have led to flooding that occurred during Hurricane Isaac, said State Sen. Angela Hill. She said long-time residents have told her flooding was not as severe before changes were made to Long Bridge on Beech Street. She suggested to Cochran that more and larger culverts be installed in affected areas.
Cochran did make one promise before heading out to tour the city.
“I’m not just going to go back to Washington and forget about y’all,” Cochran said.
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U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, left, speaks with Picayune Mayor Ed Pinero Jr., after a meeting held at City Hall on Wednesday prior to the senator’s tour of storm-damaged areas of the city and county. Jeremy Pittari
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