According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the Pearl River at Jackson rose to 29.85 feet and the Pearl River crested in Marion County at 25.45 feet in Columbia.

Columbia resident, Blake Beal has lived in Columbia all 32 years of his life and he has never seen the Pearl River flooded to this extent. Beal is the assistant operations manager at Beal’s Collision Center in Columbia which is adjacent to the Pearl River. On top of the river’s flooding, the collision center experienced damage from the tornados in December and has just got the damage repaired.

“We have dug trenches to divert the floodwaters away from the collision center to save it from any further damage. The Pearl River has flooded to the bank in my lifetime, but has never come this far inland to the residential areas, ” said Beal.

Currenlty, MEMA has issued flood warnings along the Mississippi River until Tuesday, March 10. Learn how you can be prepared for flooding in your area by following MEMA on Twitter and their website to get alerts regarding the flooding.

Below is a gallery comprised of flood coverage in Columbia, Foxworth and Morgantown on Sunday, February 23, 2020, and also the aftermath of flooding to the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Jackson on Friday, February 21, 20

*Follow up of residential areas and residents returning to the flooded areas coming soon* 

All photos by Bethany Morris