Local Winston County store gets destroyed from severe weather
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The weather was hazardous Sunday night, January 5, with strong wind gusts and apparent tornadoes swarming through the area.
One of those possible tornadoes damaged multiple homes and destroyed a local grocery store in Winston County.
An apparent tornado tore through Winston County, leaving widespread damage.
The Crossroads Grocery Store was leveled and nearby homes sustained damage.
The community has already begun coming together to help those in need.
“It was overwhelming, I mean it was unbelievable,” Scott Barnhill said.
That Sunday night, severe weather left parts of Winston County in ruins.
The Crossroads Grocery Store a community staple for 18 years near Boons and Crystal Ridge Road, was destroyed when an apparent tornado shattered glass and caved in the roof.
Store owner, Scott Barnhill said he is thankful no one was inside when the storm hit.
“I’ve had alarms go off from thunder and a set of glass breaks just sensor off from vibrations of thunder and that’s all I was expecting. But it just didn’t turn out to be that way this time,” Barnhill said. “The store was closed nobody was in it. It was a blessing it happened at the time that I did. If it had to happen it was the best time that it could have possibly happened.”
Also, multiple homes were damaged, leaving many without power.
Winston County Sheriff Mike Perkins said the Crossroads grocery store was a was more than just a business- it was a pillar of the community.
“We can tell when we first arrived on the scene that the store was pretty much demolished and that store is key to that community. I mean its a good people that run it and it’s good people that patronized that store,” Perkins said.
Despite the destruction, Perkins said Winston County residents wasted no time stepping up to help.
“We got just a great county here,” Perkins said. “People want to help each other. When the store was hit about half of it fell in but we had great people of Winston county come out and help. They loaded a lot of the merchandise that was going to spoil on vehicles where they can put it in a safe storage place.”
The Winston County Sheriff Department said there were no injuries reported.
