Heavy rain and flooding plagued Mississippi Wednesday, leading to multiple water rescues, including residents at a nursing home and over 100 children at a daycare.
Central and southern Mississippi have been hit the hardest over the past three days, prompting Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to declare a local emergency Wednesday afternoon, according to The Clarion-Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The National Weather Service called for more rain and possible flooding through Saturday in central Mississippi, and Thursday’s forecast calls for showers, mainly after 2 p.m., The Clarion-Ledger reported.
In Rankin County, eight-year resident Tammy Boykin told news station WLBT-TV she had never seen flooding so severe.
Sheriff Bryan Bailey told the outlet the county sent out an airboat, two regular rescue boats, and three high water rescue vehicles to help locals.
Among the rescues were 42 residents at the Peach Tree Village Nursing Home in Brandon, Bailey told the outlet.
Courtney Ingle’s grandmother lives at the nursing home. Ingle called the facility after her husband saw fire trucks headed there. When she couldn’t get through, she called her grandmother’s cellphone and a nurse told her residents were being evacuated, she told The Associated Press.
About 30 minutes later, Ingle found out her grandmother and other residents were moved to the Rankin County safe room until conditions improve, WLBT-TV and the AP reported.
“This is some straight-up local superhero-type stuff,” Ingle said to the AP. “What it boils down to is all the stuff they lost is replaceable. The 42 people they rescued are not.”
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More than 100 children evacuated at daycare, mayor says
About 18 miles south of Brandon, more than 100 children were also rescued from flooding at Railroad Daycare in Florence, according to CBS affiliate WJTV.
Florence Mayor Bob Morris said 104 children ages six-weeks to five-years-old were in the building when the water began to rise, the outlet reported. Daycare staff called police because they were worried water would make its way into the building, so officials rescued all children and staff.
The children were first taken to a nearby facility, and all of them made it home safely, the outlet said.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.