Many Tornado Victims Are Wondering What’s Next?

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Imagine having no power, no phone, and no real connection to out the outside world.

Many of the Columbus tornado victims tell us that’s exactly how the feel.

They are getting information by word of mouth but some of it is incorrect.

Disaster response teams are in town to help, but sometimes in a disaster, you don’t know what to ask or where to go.

On Tuesday, we talked to one lady who needed help figuring out where to go next.

“People just don’t understand once you go through stuff like this here, you hurt and then you go to people and you asked them for help, you know, that’s what stopped people from asking people for help because you get so many no’s. They throw up so many blocks,” says tornado victim, Shirley Furguson.

Furguson is thankful to be alive and to see another birthday today.

However, just days after an EF-3 tornado demolished her Railroad Street apartment, she’s still lost.

“They’re out here saying well, ‘I sympathize with y’all. We understand what you’re going through.’ Do you understand how I feel? I don’t have no clothes. I don’t, I don’t have my roof over my head. I don’t have nothing.”

On top of being left with nothing, Furguson feels helpless.

“I hate asking people for help, but then when I do come out of character and ask people for help, you keep on saying well, you need this, you’ve got to have that. That’s just uncalled for to me. You either want to help somebody or you don’t, or you just got so common-place you don’t care about nobody because that hasn’t happened to yourself.”

Furguson says she feels like every time she turns around she’s at a dead-end.

“I went to the church and they told me I had to have my ID. Everything I own is up in this apartment and you know, what am I supposed to do? Get in there and pick up stuff and look around for ID’s just to satisfy ya’ll that I live in this area?”

Many organizations require an ID, an address and other forms of identification.

Part of that is to start the process of documenting those who were left with nothing but Furguson says it feels as if some people don’t care.

“This is not no scam with us with us on Railroad Street. We don’t have anywhere to go. We don’t have any food. I’m talking about we don’t even have transportation to all of these places. Y’all for helping people, where we going to? How are we going to get there?

Furguson says she just wants someone to point her in the right direction.

“I went to the Salvation Army, Salvation Army said they can’t do anything until MEMA does stuff. So what do us, us suppose to do? Are we just suppose to lay in the street, or just give up? I just want to know. That’s all I want to know. If anybody else can tell me something reasonable for me to do, I will do it.”

A Columbus spokesman tells WCBI that the city is preparing to hand out letters of information to people impacted by the twister, ensuring they know where to go.

There are also plans in the works for transportation.

The Trotter Convention Center will open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

It’s a one stop shop for volunteers and victims.