Sen. Roger Wicker visited one of the lowest lying areas of Jackson last week before flood waters from the Pearl River encroached into their yards near their homes for the second time since 2020.
Deon Thompson, who lives near River Road, said Wicker told them money was already allocated for the One Lake Project that would alleviate flooding in the Jackson area and that he was going to make sure this would not happen again.
Fortunately for Thompson and all of his neighbors, flood water did not get into their homes like it did in 2020.
“(Wicker) told us that they were going to fix this and that it is fixable,” Thompson said. “We told him to go on and do it and quit telling us you are going to do it. The mayor and others told us they were going to fix this in 2020 and guess what? Here we are again”
Thompson said flood waters have already receded substantially from yesterday and he expects water out of the street and everything back to normal by the end of the day Monday.
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“Right now, we are just grateful that everything is going to be OK this time around,” Thompson said. “We are here for everyone and want to support all of our neighbors and we don’t want good people leaving. We have a great neighborhood. We are going to get back to our normal lives.”
As for the promise of flood control, Thompson said he would wait and see if promises will be kept.
“Sen. Wicker assured us that the Corps of Engineers and the other entities were going to get on this and that they were not going to drop the ball on this,” Thompson said. “He told us that the money was already there and this is going to happen. But I will tell you this, we are going to hold the senator, the mayor and all of them accountable.”
When asked to respond about the One Lake Plan, Sen. Wicker said, “I have consistently pushed for flood control projects across Mississippi, and last week was an important milestone in moving the ball forward. Last Tuesday, I met with local mayors, county supervisors, and Army Corps of Engineers officials to discuss the need for the Pearl River Flood Control Project in Jackson. This proposal, which is being reviewed by the Army Corps, would widen the Pearl River, enlarge levees, and remove chokepoints that have caused upstream flooding. This plan would protect Hinds and Rankin counties from more than $1 billion in potential damages, shielding our homes, roads, hospitals, rail, and other infrastructure. Studies show that 92 percent of the structures affected by the 2020 flood would in fact be protected under this plan.”
First Pentecostal Church North not damaged
First Pentecostal Church North sits in a hollow next to the Flowood Drive bridge over Prairie Branch in Flowood.
The church sustained major damage during the February 2020 flood, the Rev. Bill Chatham said. The August flood is nowhere near as bad.
In 2020, the church met at a neighboring church for services for about four months while repairs were being made. Chatham is waiting for the all-clear to check on the building, but he doesn’t expect to see any damage to the interior like he did in 2020.
While it appears from the bridge above that the church is under a few feet of water, it isn’t as bad as it looks most of the time the area floods.
“We’ve been checking the website for the flood and it looks like it’s going down now,” Chatham said. “We possibly have missed the whole thing.”
Next door, a home that flooded now sits with a for sale sign outside, the posts under water.
In 2020, resident Janis Hart Landrum who lived in the home during the last flood had to be rescued by boat. Landrum was not at home Monday.
