Reports - Mississippi Renewal

8 | COUNTY REPORTS“We must be proactivein ensuringthat the goals andrecommendationsof the citizens arecarried forwardinto action.”— Joe Sanderson,Southeast County Chairman“George County isthe Nursery Capitolof Mississippi, withapproximately 50wholesale nurseries,and such a centermay promote andgrow thehorticulture industryin Mississippi.”— Mayor Dayton Whites,George County Chairman“Housing hasbecome extremelylimited, to virtuallynon-existent, asdisplaced familiesmove to Natchezand SouthwestMississippi”— Mayor Phillip West,Southwest County ChairmanPrentiss all had the opportunity tomake their voices heard in town hallmeetings.The most pressing issue in southeastand southwest Mississippi is the needfor a newly revised emergency responseplan for each county. Fire departments,law enforcement, other emergencyresponse agencies, healthcare providers,churches, and volunteer organizations,among others, should collaboratein creating a better plan for safety andresponse to emergencies. Local officialsshould receive training on how to implementthe plan, and leaders should bedesignated well in advance of an emergency.As more fully discussed in thechapter on public services, residents ininland Mississippi identified the criticalneed for trustworthy, effective communicationsduring and immediately aftera disaster. They also said that each communityshould designate an emergencylocation long before an emergencyoccurs as centers for citizens to gatherand receive aid and information.Distribution systems must be put inplace to ensure that supplies are deliveredto these emergency centers ineach county. One citizen described hercounty as “the forgotten corner of thestate.” “Forgotten” because her countywas passed up by the relief trucks headedto the Coast. Consequently, coastalresidents who had fled to these inlandcounties and the residents of thesecounties were left in need of food, waterand ice.Generators for individuals and, particularly,for the critical facilities likehospitals and disaster response centersmust be more available, and fuel resourcesto run the generators must becoordinated. Folks in Wayne Countysuggested that critical equipment suchas the “jaws of life” and utility maintenanceequipment also be readily accessibleduring and after an emergency.Community centers also must be replaced.In Moselle, the gym that serveda variety of community functions wascompletely destroyed by the hurricane.In discussing plans to rebuild and expandthe facility, one citizen recommendedthat the community offerEnglish as a second language courseat these locations to assist the growingHispanic population in South Mississippi.