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photo by Ben Hillyer
A Natchez Police Department officer patrols Main Street in his vehicle Monday night after widespread power outages left the city in darkness. Downtown, a portion of a building collapsed and a roof blew off a Union Street house.
County left in total darkness from winds
Published Monday, September 1, 2008
NATCHEZ — Hurricane Gustav started quietly but came to a Katrina-like roar across Adams County and Southwest Mississippi Monday night.
At approximately 8:30 p.m. all five electrical transmission lines that power Adams County were lost, Entergy Customer Service Manager Stephen Caruthers said.
“This hit us worse than Katrina,” Caruthers said. “We are like south Louisiana trying to deal with Katrina three years ago. People just need to be patient.”
Work to restore electricity did not begin Monday night, due to high winds. Caruthers said it might begin this morning.
At least 20,000 customers were without power in the area.
Downtown, the facade of an unused building on Commerce Street collapsed and the roof of a house on Union Street landed in the street.
But crews worked through the night to remove limbs from roadways, and Police Chief Mike Mullins said he expected the city to be drivable today.
Still, Adams County Civil Defense Director Stan Owens urged any non-essential personnel to stay off the roads today, unless absolutely necessary, so that cleanup of downed lines and limbs could begin.
“If you see a power line down stay away from it,” Owens said.
The Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association also reported 5,250 outages in Wilkinson, Adams, Franklin and Jefferson counties.
Caruthers, and a spokeswoman with the Southwest, said it could be up to three days before power is restored to the impacted areas.
Meteorologist Ed Agre with the National Weather Service in Jackson said heavy rains and high winds will continue throughout the early morning hours today.
However, Agre said the winds should be rapidly diminishing in the afternoon — but not the rain.
Agre said the Natchez area could receive as much as an inch of rain in the evening on Tuesday and up to a half inch on Wednesday.
Mullins and Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown both said the fallen trees accounted for nearly all of their calls on Monday evening.
Mullins said one large tree closed both eastbound lanes on John R. Junkin Drive.
Mullins also said fallen trees closed a section of Auburn Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation also reported road closures on U.S. 48 West in Amite County, U.S. 556 in Franklin County and U.S. 552 and 550 in Jefferson County.
Mullins reported no injuries.
Comments
Posted by dynagirl (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 5:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope everyone gets power back fast & has only a great story to tell.
How's the Democrat server still working? Generator power?
Guess I won't check in with the fam & their refugees (who are probably wishing they'd stayed in NO!) until later.
Posted by ponylover22 (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 5:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope everyone is ok and power gets restored soon. This storm was not as bad as Katrina overall but for the Miss-Lou area it was worse than that because the Miss-Lou area was not affected by Katrina (other than the influx of evacuees).
Hopefully they will have plenty of ice, food, water and gasoline around for the next week: people without power will need this stuff even those who think they were prepared.
It is amazing how most people have to actually go through a big storm before they take these things seriously. Katrina was a lesson to most people: mainly in Southern LA and in Mississippi since they were hit so bad. Those not hit by Katrina hear reports that this storm is not so bad automatically think that they will be just fine because they were just fine in Katrina. The tracks of the storm were different; Katrina didn't come close like this one did.
I wish everyone well and I hope Natchez and Vidalia both work hard to get everyone back to normal.
Posted by thelorax (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Would like to thank the Vidalia Police Dept for keeping things safe all through the night.
Also want to thank the Electric crews who I saw keep on going through the night. It is a dangerous job and we don't know how much you do until we need you.
Hope everyone stays safe.
Posted by Exdeladdon (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Must have been a wild night for you all - being without electricity for the next 3 days is going to make everyone edgy -- just remember that the person working at the store had nothing to do with the weather -- keep your tempers under control.
There's another storm system building up over the Atlantic -- hope it doesn't head you way!
KUDOS to all of you and remember the song "What-so-ever you do to the least of my brother's, that you do unto me"
Posted by redusmfan (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As you start to rebuild your property, make sure you hire only STATE LICENSED CONTRACTORS. If you hire Joe Bob or Bubba and they do the job improperly and they do not have a state license, then you can take them to court but will have a very hard time getting money from them.The court will ask you why you hired an unlicensed contractor and when you say" They are good ole boys" or " they were half price or CHEAPER" the courts will dismiss the case. You are responsible for hiring the contractor, not your insurance company. If you do not ask for a license number, the responsibility is on your shoulders.
Word of warning.
Posted by straightshooter1 (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If anyone in the area has a small generator they can spare....my mother-in-law could sure use it. She is elderly and is so worried about all her food in her freezer. Email me if you can help. thanks in advance
Posted by freespool (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can someone post the conditions /status in the northern part of the county - Washington area and just beyond St Cath Creek up hwy 61? I can't get in touch with my folks to check on them because phones are down and they don't have internet access. Thanks...
Posted by ntzfred (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 11:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Does anyone know if the power is out at Lake St. John? Trying to check on the lake house.
Posted by OutsiderLookingIn (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Power is out at Lake St. John.
Posted by mophus22 (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i grew up in adams co. and i'm sorry for all of the people there having to be without power for a few days. as to the title, "Our Katrina," i'm quite sure that all of those people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in New Orleans back in '05 would have taken a few days without power over what they had to endure any day. Democrat and Caruthers and any other saying this is "your Katrina" is doing so in very, very poor taste. maybe you should just think a little more about what you're printing......
Posted by suzyQ (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree, a little dramatic Democrat. A three day power outage does not compare to the losses on the Coast and New Orleans from Katrina.
Posted by KimberlyStammreich (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 6:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well I remember a time when My family went without lights for two weeks in the ice storm that was horrible when I was very young. We lived out on kingston road. My fondest memory of my mother was when she was having to put our perishables on the roof of our house to keep them cold cause we had no power to our frig.... Now that was a power outage!!!!!
Posted by rose18 (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 7:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
power is on in the monterey area thanks to the light company
Posted by rose18 (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 7:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
is the lights on in the natchez does anyone know thanks
Posted by ITSME (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did u just ask that? Read the article
Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 9:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hear the natives are getting restless amongst all this darkness.
Posted by MsBlondie (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 9:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No lights in Natchez....but thank God, Vidalia has lights!!
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