Then and now: See photos of recovery one year after devastating tornado hit MS Coast city
One year after a devastating tornado struck the city of Moss Point, the city is still in recovery mode.
The tornado that hit Moss Point on June 19, 2023, packed a punch, delivering 130 mph winds along a 2.14 mile long path and damaging over 100 buildings. The storm was classified as an E-2 and a major disaster declaration for the area was issued in August.
Since then, recovery has come in bits and pieces. Many of the residents living in the storm’s path were uninsured and waiting on help from the federal government following a disaster declaration. Some buildings along Main Street are still sitting in a similar state to what they were in immediately after the storm.
But there are also many signs of progress. Mayor Billy Knight said volunteers have so far renovated 14 homes and built 8 using funds from the city’s long term recovery fund, putting some of those residents back on their feet.
First Missionary Baptist Church, a historic Black church originally built 150 years ago, was significantly damaged in the tornado and the remaining structure was eventually torn down. The church, whose congregation is currently sharing space at First Southern Baptist Church just down the road, is planning to rebuild on the site with a ground breaking ceremony in the works for later this year.
Merchants and Marine Bank, which was located just across the street from the church, is experiencing a similar recovery. A ground breaking for a brand new location on the site of the former location was held on Tuesday. Since the damaged original location was torn down in December, the bank has been operating out of a temporary trailer location just up the street.
The city is still a long way off from being whole, though. According to Knight, the city is constantly still seeking more funding to help with repairs. As time goes on, he says, there are fewer volunteers to help with the recovery.
See photos of what the city looked like immediately after the storm compared to now:
Sun Herald reporter Martha Sanchez contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 19, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
