Mother Nature delivered a devastating one-two punch to Jackson Parish this past week as a pair of severe thunderstorms barreled through causing widespread damage and a myriad of utility problems. Fortunately, no lives were lost.
It all began on Wednesday afternoon when around 3:30 pm a small but powerful system ripped its way across northern Jackson Parish. Torrential rain, high winds, and quarter-sized hail pummeled the Quitman, Clay, and Ansley area causing trees to be downed, including one that forced the southbound lane of Hwy 167 north of Quitman to come to a halt for a short period while work crews feverously attempted to clear the roadway.
That was nothing compared to what took place the next night.
At 2:15 am the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for residents in Jackson Parish as a storm stretching from as far north as Union Parish and south into Grant Parish raced its way eastward. Packing winds estimated as high as 80 miles per hour the system blasted across the parish in a period of roughly 30 minutes. While no rotation was ever spotted, the damage left behind by the straight-line winds and heavy rain was staggering.
Trees toppled onto roadways and houses from one end of the parish to the other as traffic on every major highway in the parish and many smaller byways came to a virtual standstill up into the morning hours of Friday. Several remained closed as late as Saturday.
Downed lines caused up to 1000 residents all over the parish to be without electricity on Friday and even into Saturday as Entergy crews worked round the clock attempting to restore power. Especially feeling the wrath was the Chatham and Eros area which remained in the dark through the weekend. Adding to the misery, those on the Chatham Water System also were forced to endure a boil advisory due to the plant losing power causing possible contamination of the water supply.
Not only was electricity transmission in the area halted but in Jonesboro a large pine tree that toppled onto a house just south of the railroad bridge on South Cooper Avenue destroyed a gas main forcing closure of the road and requiring emergency repairs to be made.
