CLAY COUNTY — High winds took a chunk out of Clay County’s correctional facilities Tuesday, tearing the roof off of its maximum security wing.
Storms blew through the whole of the Golden Triangle throughout the afternoon, with the National Weather Service reporting winds of up to 33 mph and gusts of 39 mph. A particularly strong gust ripped most of the roof off a building in the Clay County Detention Center just before 3 p.m., flipping it onto an administrative office next door.
Sheriff Eddie Scott was on his way back to the jail, hoping to beat the storm, when he heard about the damage.
“I’d run home to change and was on my way back since the bad weather was supposed to hit around 4 p.m.,” he told The Dispatch on Wednesday. “They called me to say it had just hit. Most of my administrative staff was still in the building when it happened. … There hasn’t been anything like this since I became sheriff in 2012.”
Nobody was injured by the debris, but workers were still assessing the damage Wednesday. As dramatic as the event was, Scott said there was a secondary steel roof underneath, so security was never compromised for the inmates inside. While it may have rattled administrators and prisoners, the rain that followed was the real risk.
“The people inside the building said it sounded like a bomb going off, but it was more of a danger to anyone in the parking lot or yard,” he said. “… My main concern was water pouring in there with all the electrical stuff.”
There was significant damage to the roof of the administrative building, and power has had to be shut down to the damaged prison while electrical systems are assessed. Scott said 15 high-security prisoners have been moved to equivalent facilities while work is underway, seven to the Oktibbeha County Jail and eight to the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center.
Scott said that he was just happy nobody was hurt despite the buildings being occupied.
“The main thing is that there were no injuries, that’s what we’re thankful for,” he said. “Everything else is replaceable.”
The building was insured, and Scott said a report has already been turned over to the Mississippi Association of Supervisors Insurance Trust. No timeline has been decided yet on when payments and repairs will take place.
Other storm damage minimal
Aside from the jail’s roof, Tuesday’s weather seems to have left the Golden Triangle largely unscathed.
Torrey Williams, head of Clay County’s emergency management agency, said that the jail was the only major structural damage reported in the county.
“We haven’t had much other damage actually,” he said. “Only thing we’ve heard aside from the jail is a couple trees down and some power outages here and there, in part due to trees falling on them. No other structural damage to buildings that I’m aware of, and no injuries.”
Kristen Campanella, Oktibbeha County’s EMA director, confirmed that the county had no major damage reported, with a couple down trees that were quickly removed and no power outages. Cindy Lawrence, the EMA director for Lowndes County, reported a similar outcome.
“We didn’t get any major reports of storm damage,” she said. “We just had some trees down, that’s about it. A couple power lines got hit, but nothing major and no major power outages. No structural damage reported by anybody.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
