“We’re fortunate that we have two trailers,” Thames said as she oversaw the move. Thames hired a crew to move furniture, appliances and other belongings out of the three-bedroom home that she now rents to a newly married couple – a medical student and engineer who plans to stay in a short-term vacation rental. But emergency officials are telling people in low-lying areas to prepare for homes and businesses to be flooded after river levels increased dramatically as a result of those torrential rains. Hydrologists predict the Pearl River near Jackson will crest – or reach its peak level before subsiding – by Tuesday somewhat short of the levels it reached two years ago. She’s now getting ready for another inundation, days after storms dumped torrential rainfall in Mississippi and other parts of the deep south. Thames on Friday pointed to a column on the front porch to show how deep the water was then – about up to her waist. Suzannah Thames, who owns a rental home in Jackson that was filled with dirty, snake-infested flood water when the Pearl River overflowed its banks in 2020, spoke with the Associated Press. “Don’t allow that to be an impediment for you saving your life and saving the lives of those other individuals in your home,” Lumumba said during a news conference on Friday. He said law enforcement officers will increase patrols to protect property. Additionally, the Mississippi emergency management agency has drones in the air to assess water levels along the Pearl River.Ĭhokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Mississippi’s capital, Jackson, has urged residents in flood zones to pack enough belongings to get them through an evacuation that is several days long. So far, the state has deployed 126,000 sandbags and put search and rescue teams on standby.

I encourage individuals in the flood zones to be cautious, take appropriate precautions and evacuate if necessary.” The governor added: “I want to strongly encourage everyone to remain calm. “If your home flooded in 2020, there is a high probab it will happen again,” Reeves said. However, the state’s current flood warnings estimate floods to reach 34ft in certain areas, while others are likely to see 35.8ft of water, threatening homes and businesses in areas that were damaged by severe flooding in 2020 as the global climate crisis continues fueling extreme weather. Usually, a flood stage is considered “major” at 26ft, CNN reports.

Harrahs gulf coast biloxi ms flooding