City of Natchez residents can place tree debris from this week’s ice storm on the curb for pickup by Meridian Waste, the city’s contracted trash collector. Limbs must be no longer than 6 feet and less than 8 inches in diameter. Each residence is limited to eight cubic yards of debris for collection by the company’s grapple truck.
The ice storm caused widespread tree damage and power outages across Natchez and Adams County beginning Sunday. Nearly all 11,300 customers served by Entergy have had power restored. However, about 500 customers of Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association in rural Adams County remained without electricity as of Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.com. That number represents roughly 9 percent of the cooperative’s 5,500 customers in the county.
Red Cross disaster action teams have responded to numerous home fires over the past week. The organization reports that when residents are displaced by a fire, immediate needs often include temporary housing or shelter, clothing, food, and other essentials. The Red Cross provides free financial assistance for these necessities, funded entirely through donations.
The Mississippi Public Service Commission has approved the addition of the 471 area code as an overlay to the existing 662 region. The new area code will be assigned to new phone numbers within the same geographic area. All customers in the region, whether using 471 or 662, will be required to dial 10 digits for local calls.
This week’s cold temperatures temporarily halted crawfish harvesting. According to the LSU AgCenter, crawfish retreat into the mud during extreme cold, slowing both harvesting and growth. Peak crawfish supply is still expected from late February through April.
The Mississippi River at Natchez-Vidalia is currently at 18.14 feet and falling.
