Water Valleyians powering up and standing together
WATER VALLEY, Miss., (WCBI) — When Winter Storm Fern hit Water Valley, the community didn’t panic — and they didn’t point fingers. Instead, they came together. If there’s one word Brandon Presley uses to describe the people of Water Valley — it’s resilient. Presley, chairman of the Water Valley Electric Commission, says neighbors stepped up the moment the storm hit.
“We’re full of resilient people that are tough. When there’s a problem, we’re going to go attack it and get it fixed. And so, you had volunteers in this county out with their own tractors clearing streets, getting them clear so we can get power trucks and crews in to get people restored.”
He says residents didn’t fall into despair or look for someone to blame.
They acted.
People fed linemen.
They helped at shelters.
They asked what more they could do.
“Community that has just stood up. Water Valleyians aren’t into victimhood. They weren’t trying to blame anybody. They just went out and went to work with us to get power restored and streets cleared. Our city, our mayor, it’s been all hands-on deck to make sure the city got back to life as quick as possible. And you’re here today and see things are returning to normal pretty well.”
Presley tells WCBI that after nearly two decades on the Public Service Commission, he’s witnessed countless disasters — and Water Valley’s recovery plan stands out.
“This has been executed in this city very, very well. Doesn’t mean we don’t find things we want to learn from, of course we do but going forward, I think we’re going to be stronger,” Presley said. “We got some work to do in places but it’s good to see life return to normal pretty quickly here. We’re a town that only has 2100 on our electric department, we’re one of the smallest in the multistate region but we’re one of the toughest.”
As of today, he says only five customers remain without power — and they’re being kept off intentionally until crews can confirm it’s safe to restore service.
The Water Valley School District remains closed for now. Presley says many students live in rural areas still dealing with outages.
He says storms like this reveal the true heart of a community — and Water Valley’s heart is unmistakable.
“Find out the heart of a community when you go through a disaster like this and Water Valley’s heart is strong and pure and tough.”
