Jackson Free Press

view photos of damage from Friday's tornado »

After tornadoes and high winds swept though Jackson Friday morning, the city blocked off West Northside Drive between Sunset Drive and Methodist Farm Road. Around 5 p.m. dozens of Jackson Police officers were busy securing the area, while clean-up crews cleared debris from the roads. Mothers and children from the surrounding areas stood in their front yards talking with neighbors and surveying the damage.

Cora Coleman, owner of Lamode Stylett and Barber Center, on West Northside Drive, had three women in her shop when a tornado made its way through the area. She was giving one of them a perm when she heard the tornado coming closer. She tried to coax the women into a nearby hallway but they were so scared they froze and couldn't move.

Around 5 p.m., she was packing boxes of curlers and hair products into the back of her blue Chevy Silverado. Shards of wood from the facade of her store littered the yard and jutted from the top of her building.

Coleman has owned her beauty shop for the past 27 years. She lives nearby in the Presidential Hills neighborhood. Coleman says her business is her "home away from home."

"You see in on TV but hope and pray that it never happens to you," Coleman said about the tornado, as she moved a box from her shop.

Fiberglass insulation, resembling cotton candy, hung from the ceiling where the roof sank in after the tornado passed through. Water trickled onto the floor from some area and onto the three navy blue styling chairs. Colemen appeared shaken, but she's thankful that no one was hurt.

Not even a tornado, however, could stop Coleman from doing hair. She finished giving her customer a perm without electricity.

"The water pressure was a bit slow," Coleman says. "But I didn't care if I had to go get a bucket. We were going to get those chemicals out of her hair."

Other businesses in the area include historic Malaco Records, which suffered extensive damage to its executive offices, recording studio and warehouse. Hamp's, a night club, suffered minor damage.

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ID

163167

Comment

Damage update just in from MEMA, verbatim: Additional weather damage reports, more shelters open PEARL –The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency teamed up with local officials to begin initial damage assessments in areas impacted by Friday’s severe storms. Eight teams left the State Emergency Operations Center this morning headed towards Hinds County, one of the hardest hit areas. Teams also traveled to Greene and Kemper counties, two other heavily impacted areas, to do initial damage assessments. Based on information collected by the teams, 245 of the 258 homes/mobile that were destroyed or received major damage occurred in those three counties. All damages and operations are as follows: Adams: Reports of trees down. Attala: Two injuries have been reported and one mobile home destroyed. Choctaw: Four public roads destroyed, six public roads with major damage. Clarke: One home destroyed, one home with minor damage and 10 roads with minor damage. Clay: Fifteen homes and 30 apartments with minor damage. Copiah: Two homes with minor damage. Greene: One fatality, six injuries and 23 homes destroyed, 28 with major damage and 47 with minor damage. Five businesses destroyed, five with major and four with minor damage. The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Leakesville Community Center, 1627 Center St., Leakesville. Emergency Response Vehicles will provide food, which is sponsored by the American Red Cross. Hinds: Thirty four homes destroyed, 117 with major damage and 162 homes with minor damage. Three businesses destroyed, six with major damage and 10 with minor damage. Seven injuries reported. The ARC and Salvation Army are providing food and water throughout the county. MEMA has provided six light sets and 100 tarps. The Salvation Army continues feeding operations. Two ERVs in city of Clinton and the Queens area in Jackson will provide food and the ARC is setting up a kitchen at Morrison Height Baptist Church, 201 Morrison Road in Clinton. The ARC ill also open a shelter at 5 p.m. at the Clinton YMCA, 400 Lindale. To report storm damage in Hinds County, residents are being asked to call 601-960-1476. Issaquena: One mobile home destroyed. Kemper: Twenty six homes destroyed, 17 with major damage and 16 with minor damage. Three business buildings destroyed, one with minor damage. More than 100 people are displaced. Officials are opening a shelter at the Farmer’s Market in Dekalb. The ARC is setting up a feeding area at DeKalb Baptist Church, 11 Bell Street. Additionally, three ERVs will provide countywide feeding. Leflore: One home with minor damage, one mobile home destroyed and one with minor damage, one business and one farm with minor damage. Monroe: Five public roads and three bridges with minor damage. Neshoba: Five homes with minor damage, one mobile home destroyed and one minor. Two farm buildings destroyed, one with major damage and two with minor damage. Rankin: Several homes uninhabitable and at least one road closed in the Pisgah/Sandhill community. Scott: Two homes with major damage and one mobile home destroyed, three with minor damage. Simpson: Reports of damage to homes and mobile homes, several roads closed due to flooding and debris. Tallahatchie: At least one home with damage and numerous trees down and power outages throughout the county. Warren: Two homes with major damage and one mobile home destroyed. One person listed with minor injuries. Wayne: One home destroyed, one home with major damage and one business with major damage. Two people are homeless and the ARC has contacted home owners to meet immediate needs. Damage assessments are continuing throughout the state. For more information, visit us online at www.msema.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook using the keyword MSEMA.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2011-04-16T17:47:32-06:00