DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. — Recovery groups are finding new ways to help residents as the storm relief effort continues in DeSoto County.
Hundreds of homes in DeSoto County are without power after Saturday’s storms and tornadoes, leaving the food that residents had in refrigerators and freezers to go bad.
“All of our food was ruined,” Kelsee Wages said. “There’s trees down through our roof.”
DeSoto County and the Southern Baptist Emergency Group have set up Dumpsters at Lewisburg Primary School and the Love fire station for residents to drop off old, rotting food and waste.
“It can make you sick, you catch germs from it, everything like that,” said John Hampton, with Southern Baptist Disaster Response Team. “So that’s what we’re trying to do is provide places, because people are calling and asking, ‘Hey, where can I put my old food?'”
And once residents get rid of their old food, there are stations around the county supplying families with basic needs, including a decent meal.
There’s a long road to complete recovery, but every little bit helps.
“It’s a blessing, it really is,” Wages said. “If you can help you should, because there’s a lot of people that need help.”
The recovery effort will take months, if not longer, but there are venues and events designated to help those in need.
Relief resources
- The Lewisburg Fire Station will be handing out food, water and resources to DeSoto County storm victims from now until this Sunday (Dec.19).
- Dumpsters have been set up at Lewisburg Primary School and the Love Fire Department for old, rotting food.
- DeSoto County law enforcement is leading a donation drive at the Superlo in Southaven on Goodman Thursday to collect money and resources. When they hosted a similar drive for hurricane victims in Houston, they raised nearly $20,000 and a truck full of goods. They’re hoping for even more.
- Go to DeSoto County government’s social media for more information.
We will update this list of resources as more information becomes available.