Storm victim’s son talks about mother’s passing
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Two people died as a result of violent storms that blew through Mississippi Saturday night.
One of the casualties was 68-year-old Geneva Karr of Steens.
Tommy Karr said his mother loved to feed the animals near where she lives.
“She loves, animals, she would feed them deer, and them birds and possum and raccoons. She would feed every wild animal that comes out the woods. She would leave food for them,” said Tommy Karr.
Tommy Karr said his mother, Geneva Karr, was a good-hearted person.
She passed away early Sunday morning after losing power due to Saturday night’s severe weather.
Karr says she believes his mother’s oxygen tank died while she was asleep.
She passed away early Sunday morning after losing power due to Saturday night’s severe weather.
Karr said he believes his mother’s oxygen tank died while she was asleep.
“She was having a hard time breathing. She called 911, but the ambulance didn’t get there in time,” said Tommy Karr.
Geneva Karr’s death underscores how much seconds matter when the power goes out for those with critical medical needs.
Cindy Lawrence, the emergency services director for Lowndes County said preparing home medical equipment by making sure everything is properly charged is as important when preparing for storm.
“We need to make preparations just like we make preparations for the storm — where are we going to go… the safe room. The same thing we have to do when it comes to oxygen is to make sure that we have a portable that’s available that can carry and go with us,” said Lawrence.
Lawrence says she meets with home health nurses during the county’s storm preparation meetings.
The nurses help clients learn how to work their oxygen equipment.
“They do work with clients and they do train them and do it in their homes often now to make sure they know how to transfer from the electrical to the portable,” said Lawrence.
Lawrence also encourages family members or other caregivers to learn how to use the tanks.
Karr says his mother had a backup portable tank that was in the car charging.
He says his mother could have been trying to get to it when paramedics found her.
“I think she was trying to get to the portable, and she was right beside the car and fell out,” said Tommy Karr.
In a statement, the Mississippi Public Service Commission said, “This heart-breaking incident serves as a distressing reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by many residents during extreme weather conditions…”
MPSC also encourages checking on neighbors and loved ones who are vulnerable or have critical health challenges during a storm.
