Jackson County Flood Update

The Jackson County Emergency Management Office is reporting that over the past 24 hours, there has been anywhere from 4-12” of rainfall.  This has caused flooding and washed out roads in several areas of the County.

Another 3-5” of rainfall is expected within the next 48 hours. In addition, drainage ditches are at capacity and rivers are rising. According to the National Weather Service, the Escatawpa River is expected to rise above flood stage (8.0 foot) by Saturday morning and continue to near 8.5 feet by Sunday morning. The Pascagoula River is forecasted to rise above flood stage (22 feet) by Friday evening and continue to rise to near 22.5 feet by Sunday afternoon. This information is based on rainfall that has occurred along with anticipated rain for the next 12 hours, adjustments will be made if additional heavy rainfall occurs.

Emergency personnel highly recommend that residents in low lying areas or areas prone to flooding begin to secure their personal property in preparation. This includes moving vehicles, boats and anything else that has the potential to float away, to higher ground. If someone is in a situation where they are in need of rescue they should call 911 or their local Fire Department.

The Emergency Management Office has also been informed that one gate at Big Creek Dam in Mobile County, Alabama has been opened to 10 foot. It is important to note that this single open gate will not impact Jackson County, however, there may be possible problems if any more are opened.

Assistance and Shelters:
Jackson County has not been declared a State or Federal disaster area. Therefore, all assistance will need to be coordinated through local agencies such as:

• ·         American Red Cross – For up to date information regarding Red Cross services or assistance visit www.mississippi-redcross.org or call your local Red Cross office.
• ·         United Way of Jackson & George Counties 228-762-8557
• ·         JC Civic Action – Visit www.jccivicaction.org for available services or call 228-769-3292

Sandbags will not be available unless a State of Emergency is declared. If they become available a notice will be sent out.

The East Central (Safe Room) Emergency Shelter on Highway 613 in Hurley is open and had 17 individuals there last night. The shelter will remain open until the water recedes.

Road Closures (as of May 2, 2013 at 12 noon):

The following roads have been reported impassable or have standing water.

Central JC –

Impassable

Kenneth Cole – impassable

Use Caution -

Moungers Creek Bridge at Wade Vancleave Road

Busby Road (tree was down)

East JC –

Impassable

Greenfield Road to Lily Orchard

Kings Road

Constitution Road at Deer Creek Subdivision – bridge is out (only open to emergency vehicles)

Airport Blvd. from Highway 614 to Grand Bay Wilmer/State Line

Old Stage Road from 7900 West

Bunkerhill road

Chatsworth

Clubhouse Road

Old Americus at Cedar Creek Bridge

Dawnridge (back section)

Sunrise

Shingle Mill

Big Point just east of 2^nd reservoir

Frank Snell at Baria

Cedar Creek at Old Americus Road

Use Caution -

Polktown – just a little water, passable

Industrial Road south of Orchard – southbound lane is closed

Old Glory –

Dawnview

Greenfield

 The 62nd annual observance of the National Day of Prayer will take place on May 2, 2013 across the nation. Organized events will be held in thousands of public venues where intercession will be made for America and its leadership. This year’s theme, “Pray for America”, is based on Matthew 12:21 which reminds us that “In His name the nations will put their hope.” 

Gulfport:

12:00 pm -1:00 pm 

Gathering for prayer at the Vietnam War Memorial Corner of 27^th Ave. & 14^th St.

West Side of Hancock Bank

Gulfport, MS 39501

Coordinator: Jane Long  (228) 868-9217

 Lucedale:

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

George County Courthouse Square

Lucedale, MS 39452

In case of rain will be held at First Baptist Church across the street

Coordinator: Pauline Goff, (601) 947-7554

 Bay St. Louis:

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Hancock Medical Center, Hwy 90      

Bay St Louis, MS 39520

Coordinator: Maria Munger, (228) 255-1118

Biloxi :

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

City Hall

140 Lameuse Street

Biloxi, MS 39530

Coordinator: Carleen E. Hall, (228) 385-7782

 Escatawpa:  Wed. May 1

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

7101 Hwy 613

Moss Point, MS 07101

Escatawpa Baptist Church

Guest Speaker:  Representative Steven Palazzo

Refreshments Served

Coordinator: Pastor Todd Bowen &                             Youth Pastor Egbert, (228) 475-2938

 Pascagoula:

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM

Jackson County Courthouse

3104 Magnolia Street  

Corner Magnolia Street and Watts Ave

Tents Available

Coordinator: Robby Myrick,   (228) 623-8246

City of Gautier NDP City Observances

St. Pierre’s Episcopal Church 5/1/13 6:00pm

First Baptist Church of Gautier 5/1/13 6:30pm

Martin Bluff Baptist Church            5/1/13 6:30pm

North Gautier Baptist Church 5/1/13 7:00pm

Gautier Baptist Church     5/1/13     6:30pm

St. Mary’s Catholic Church 5/2/13  8:00am Mass

City Hall, Veterans Tower   5/2/13    7:30am

Gautier High School (flag pole)  5/2/13  7:15am

MGCCC Jackson Co. Campus   5/2/13          3:00pm at the (Bell Tower)

First United Methodist Church 5/5/13 10:00am

Frazier Park   5/5/13   9:00am

Coordinators:  Mr. Leonard Fuller, (228) 497-6520   & Mr. Billy Lofton (228) 497-3892

Vancleave:

Gazebo in front of the Vancleave High School  Hwy 57

 12 pm – 12:45 pm

Vancleave, MS 39565

Coordinator:  Pastor Brian Miller of Pinelake Baptist Church (228) 826-2304

Ocean Springs:

12 pm – 1:00 pm

City Hall

1018 Porter Ave.

Ocean Springs, MS 39564

In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors to the sanctuary of First Baptist Church which is across the street from City Hall.

Coordinators:  Joey and Terry Fountain        (228) 875-2901

Long Beach:

12 pm – 1:00 pm

Flag Pole at the Town Green

South of City Hall

Jeff Davis Avenue  39560

Coordinator:  Brenda Rolison  (228) 864-5923

 Moss Point:

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

River Front, Denny St.  In Case of rain, the event

will be held at the Recreation Center.

Coordinator:  Mrs. Mary Smith Montgomery

 (228) 474-6314

 D’Iberville:

11:30 am-  12:30 pm

10383 Automall Parkway

At  City Hall

Coordinator: Jodie Weiss  228-273-3331

Leslie Robertson – 392-7966

e-mail address: lrobertson@diberville.ms.us

Stennis Space Center Observance:

12:00- 12:30 pm

Observance event for SSC employees        

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

Roy S. Estess Building

Coordinator: Shannon Simpson, (228) 688-1851

Diamondhead:

9 am

Diamondhead Community Church

5301 Diamondhead Circle, Diamondhead, MS

Pastor Chas Jones, 228-255-5556

 dcc@cableone.net

After enacting the strictest anti-bullying law in the country, the state of  New Jersey must now hold trials for kids who call each other names on the  playground.

An eighth-grader in the village of Ridgewood who allegedly called a girl “horse,” “fat,” and “fat ass” is just one of a dozen cases that suggest the 2011  law went too far in criminalizing bullying,  according to The Star-Ledger.

The boy denied calling his classmate any name other than “horse.”

“I never made any remarks other than horse,” he said in his testimony. “I did  not have any intent.”

The boy’s family insisted on having the case brought to trial. In effect,  they are appealing the decision to add a bullying charge to his permanent  record, which they worry could harm his college chances later in life.

“I don’t feel what my son said to this young woman constitutes violation of  the harassment, intimidation and bullying law,” said the boy’s father. “It’s  possible that this could track my son through college graduation.”

At least 15 other families have gone to trial to dispute  charges leveled under the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights. Many other students are in  the process of initiating appeals.

It’s an unintended result of the law, which took effect in 2011. Designed to  combat the kind of ritualistic and pervasive abuse that led to the suicide of  bullied Rutgers University  freshman Tyler Clementi, the law raises questions about the line between  offensive speech and harassment.

Some of the other pending cases underscore this difficulty. One couple  insists their daughter’s math teacher bullied her by calling attention to her  inappropriately short skirt. A male student faces a bullying charge for retweeting a list of  female classmates’ names with the word “grenade” written next to them. In  the context of the tweet, the word “grenade” means marking the girls as “the  ugly girl always found with a group of hotties,” according to urbandictionary.com.

Read more: http://www.magic937.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104668&article=11235812#ixzz2Rro7XYCC

1st Sgt., fellow Guardsmen aid injured at Boston tragedy By Meghann Myers, Staff Writer First Sgt. Bernard Madore spent most of the Boston Marathon doing what first sergeants do: keeping his men on track, joking around, playfully shouting at the other runners to "get up the hill!" The fun came to an abrupt end the afternoon of April 15, when two explosive devices went off near the finish line, killing three and injuring more than 180. That's when Madore's training kicked in. "I started looking up and around as soon as it went off to see where's it going?" Madore told Army Times. "And then there was a secondary bomb, so we paused to look around, because you don't know if somebody's going to start shooting or what." Madore and several other soldiers from the Massachusetts National Guard's 1,060th Transportation Company had ruck-marched the 26.2-mile race to raise money for the nonprofit Military Friends Foundation. They were waiting in a medical tent for the last members of their group to catch up when the first blast went off around the corner. The men rushed toward the scene and immediately began helping first-responders tear down a barricade that separated spectators from the marathon route. When the uninjured were freed, it was on to the next step. "A medical assistant yelled at me, 'Hey, Army guy! Go do triage!' " Madore recalled. For his part, Madore, a 26-year National Guard veteran with two deployments to Iraq, has returned home to Derry, N.H., but not without a changed perspective. "I've seen bombs go off and accidents and blood and gore," he said. "Just to see that there - especially in the streets where I grew up - it was really devastating to me that this happened on our ground. And how dare they?"

We are thankful for the heroism displayed by Madore and his fellow Guardsmen.  They ran towards the sound of violence, without hesitation, to help the innocent people harmed in this evil and senseless act of terrorism.

Their willingness to put their own lives at risk, not knowing if they might be running into an ambush, a hail of gunfire, or another bomb blast, shows the awesome and selfless caliber of the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.

According to official reports so far, none of the military personnel present that day were injured, but there are injured troops at Walter Reed receiving treatment  from injuries received defending this great country.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/the-abcs-of-vehicle-safety?icid=autos_4166

http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com/realfunbeachfest/

http://newslink.cspire.com/content/mississippian-finishes-boston-with-blasts-going-off.244232?nocheck=true