HERNANDO, Miss — A local emergency was declared in Hernando, Miss. Sunday morning after strong storms left the area with much damage, according to the city's mayor.
Mayor Chip Johnson said in a Facebook post Sunday morning that power lines were down and trees were blocking roads.
"Please avoid the area between the court square and the interstate," Johnson said in a post.
Johnson said that the city's Board of Alderman held a meeting Sunday morning to declare the emergency, which allows them to "bring in local help and accept help from the DeSoto County Road Department."
In Hernando it has been all hands on deck to try and clean up the damage, including broken tree limbs, down telephone lines and knocked over signs. The aftermath of the storm itself has been testing the patience of the community.
“We’ve been without power since Friday,” said Theresa Griffith, one of several people living in the city without electricity, “It was expected to come up this morning, but then we had the storm last night…We expect it to be a while, we’d prefer it to be sooner.”
A lot of the destruction can be seen along Commerce Street between I-55 and Hernando Square, almost impassable Sunday morning.
“We have lost a lot of trees, there are a couple of houses that are severely damaged, quite a few houses that have minor damage," said Johnson, “So just be extra cautious as you’re coming through town.”
DeSoto County Emergency Management has tarps for those who need them, Johnson said. They'll be available at Fire Station #1, which is located on the "back side of city hall" at 475 West Commerce Street, according to the city's website.
Anyone who needs help is asked to call 911, Johnson said.
Hernando is the county seat of DeSoto County. It's located about 25 miles south of Memphis.
Strong storms swept through the Mid-South late Saturday and early Sunday, leaving thousands without power. The National Weather Service has not confirmed any tornadoes as of Sunday morning.
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