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Hurricane Zeta left behind more than 32,000 damaged homes in Mississippi
Hurricane Zeta may not have been the most powerful storm to hit the Gulf Coast in 2020, but it left plenty of wreckage in its wake.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is continuing to work with local county EMA directors to assess the damage. As of Thursday, Nov. 6, counties are reporting 32,071 homes in 10 counties have been damaged or affected by Hurricane Zeta along with businesses, farms, roads and public buildings.
MEMA is encouraging residents NOT TO BURN DEBRIS, but instead, sort it according to Federal Emergency Management Agency standards. (See below. Debris counting and weighing are critical in applying for federal assistance.) Currently, MEMA is working on damage assessments, and FEMA has been requested to conduct joint damage assessments of the impacted areas.
The following damage reports are preliminary. MEMA is working to validate these numbers. Throughout the validation process, numbers can increase or decrease based on MEMA assessments:
Jackson:
- Total Homes Affected: 2,535
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 20
- Total Public Roads/Buildings Affected: 69
Harrison
- Total Homes Affected: 26,838
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 212
- Total Public Roads/Buildings Affected: 928
Hancock
- Total Homes Affected: 993
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 35
Forrest
- Total Homes Affected: 22
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 1
George
- Total Homes Affected: 990
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 20
- Total Public Roads/Buildings Affected: 6
Greene
- Total Homes Affected: 408
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 4
Pearl River:
- Total Homes Affected: 30
Perry
- Total Homes Affected: 44
- Total Public Roads/Buildings Affected: 6
Stone
- Total Homes Affected: 161
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 4
- Total Public Roads/Buildings Affected: 2
Wayne
- Total Homes Affected: 50
- Total Businesses/Farms Affected: 2
- Total Public Roads/Buildings Affected: 2
Before home repairs and reconstruction begins, permits must be obtained for communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. The local floodplain administrator must assess the damage of the property inside the special flood hazard area. After the assessment has been completed, the permit official will notify the property owner of the results and what requirements they will need to meet during repairs.
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