YAZOO CITY, Miss. (AP) - The body of a 9-year-old Yazoo City girl, who authorities say was swept away by weekend flash flood waters, was recovered late Monday, authorities said.
Yazoo County Director of Emergency Management Joey Ward said Patrauna Hudson’s body was located, retrieved and identified about 7 p.m. The child’s mother positively identified her, he said.
The preliminary cause of death is drowning, he said.
“She did not know how to swim,” Ward said earlier. “We’re hoping she was trapped or caught by some of the debris and we can find her as soon as we can.”
The little girl’s body was discovered in a drainage canal on 7th Street, not far from where she lived and was last seen. Earlier Ward said the girl’s sister saw her being carried away by the current about 7 p.m. Sunday. A neighbor saw her wash into a culvert.
National Weather Service meteorologist Daniel Lamb said the Yazoo City area had received nearly 7 inches of rain in the past two days. He said other areas had as much as 5 inches.
On Monday afternoon, Mississippi Department of Transportation officials reported parts of U.S. Highway 49 south of Jackson were closed in Simpson County due to flooding near Dabbs Creek. By late evening, the highway’s southbound lanes, north of Mendenhall, were reopened.
WLBT-TV reports (https://bit.ly/1g1OhGI) there’s no word on when the northbound lanes will reopen.
Elsewhere, damage was being assessed in Covington County in south Mississippi where the National Weather Service said a tornado ripped through around 2 a.m. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said at least seven minor injuries were reported. Wind damage also was reported in Neshoba County.
The National Weather Service said the tornado has been rated an EF-2, with 125 mph winds, and a path length of 16 miles.
In Warren County, Sheriff Martin Pace said a dam on private property broke Sunday in the Bovina area off Interstate 20. Pace said the water covered portions of Warriors Trail. He said no homes were in danger.
Byram residents in the Robinson Estates also experienced some flooding. Residents had to park their vehicles at the entrance of the subdivision.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Pearl River, which is expected to crest at 32.5 feet on Thursday afternoon in the Jackson area, said meteorologist Ed Tarver.
At its highest projected point, the Pearl would be more than 4 feet above its flood stage, he said, adding at that point it’s considered minor flooding.
Tarver said there’s a 70 percent chance for another round of showers and thunderstorms to hit the Jackson area on Tuesday.
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