Just before 1 a.m. Sunday, a Lowndes County woman called 911, reporting she had lost power during a weekend storm and had a limited supply of oxygen left.
First responders found Geneva Karr, 68, of Steens, unresponsive when they arrived.
Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant pronounced Karr dead at the scene. Karr was on daily home oxygen and was found outside her home, where she had been trying to get into her vehicle, Merchant said.
A preliminary weather report from the National Weather Service shows severe thunderstorms with wind gusts reaching up to 41 miles per hour in the Golden Triangle. NWS confirmed there were six tornadoes in Mississippi on Saturday, though none were in the Golden Triangle. A preliminary report from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency shows two deaths and 10 injuries resulted from the storm statewide.
Roughly 6,000 4-County Electric Power Association customers were without power over the weekend due to the storm. General Manager Angela Verdell said 500 Columbus Light and Water customers lost power at some point. Starkville Utilities reported less than 50 outages.
Severe storms like the one Saturday can leave thousands in the dark, but for those using life supporting equipment dependent on electricity, power outages can carry a high risk.
While Columbus Fire and Rescue Chief Duane Hughes was not able to speak to what happened to Karr specifically, he said there are several precautions taken to ensure citizens using life supporting equipment are safe during a power outage, especially those using supplemental oxygen.
“The companies that supply the oxygen cylinders and the oxygen generation equipment do training with each of their clients that specifically tells them what to do in case of an emergency, whether it be severe weather or any other situation that they may encounter,” he said.
The companies also provide E-911 with a list of the clients, so they can be prioritized when it comes to restoration or power or door-to-door checks, Hughes said.
On the local level, Hughes said the local emergency planning committee reaches out to oxygen suppliers ahead of severe weather events to put them on alert. In cases where the vendors can’t reach the client to supply more oxygen, the companies can coordinate with the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle’s ambulance service to have it delivered.
CFR and the committee also maintain a list of citizens using other life supporting equipment, like ventilators or respirators, Hughes said.
“They’re required to maintain generators,” he said. “We get a list of those, so that if we know it’s going to be a long term event, we’ll need to make preparations to make sure those generators are fueled.”
Hughes encouraged those using life supporting equipment to start preparing well before severe weather hits. That should include caregivers and family members too, said Cindy Lawrence, Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency Director Cindy Lawrence.
“The caregivers need to make sure that they understand how to use the equipment also,” she said. “If you’ve got a caregiver that’s there, they can do training with the individual as often as possible.”
Karr was the only storm-related death reported in the Golden Triangle and one of two in the state. Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency Director Cindy Lawrence confirmed there were no other injuries in Lowndes County. Aside from a tree falling on one home, there was no property damage, she said.
While no injuries were reported in Oktibbeha County, Emergency Management Agency Director Kristen Campanella said there was a lot of property damage.
In a press release Monday, MEMA reported five businesses, six homes and 19 apartments were damaged in Oktibbeha. The damage was mostly focused around the Garden Homes of Highlands Plantation, Campanella said.
Whether they use life supporting equipment or not, Lawrence said it’s best to always have a plan for where to go when the weather gets bad.
“In the event that you’re a couple of miles away (from a storm shelter), I would recommend that you would stay in your home, and find a safe place … where there’s no windows and no outside walls.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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