Residents returned to soggy, smelly homes Wednesday to begin cleaning up as floodwaters finally receded around Mississippi's capital after days of misery but with more rain on the way.
Nearly 300 homes and businesses were still without power in two counties, and Entergy utility company said it was unclear when all the electricity might be back on.
But people who had been forced out of their homes for days by floodwaters from the Pearl River threw open windows and doors to allow carpeting, furniture and floors to begin drying out. Generators hummed as crews worked in one neighborhood.
Standing floodwater from the Pearl River still surrounds a number of mobile homes in the back portion of the Harbor Pines community in Ridgeland, Miss., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. Some residents are allowed temporary permission to enter their homes in the non-flooded portion of the mobile home community to retrieve clothing and prescriptions. (AP PhotoRogelio V. Solis)
Ila and Daniel Colton's brick house, which stood in water for as many as five days, was full of wet carpet, furniture and books. The water got so high even lampshades and pictures hanging on walls were wet, and multiple homes in their neighborhood were in similar shape.
“Even though we have flood insurance, we still have a long way to go,” said Ila Cotton, back home for the first time since evacuating with only a few items six days earlier.
Nearly 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain has fallen this month in places across Mississippi, sending rivers out of their banks. Jackson set a record with 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters) of rain Saturday.
Daniel Colton, left, his wife Ila Colton, center, and their daughter Natasha Colton, recall their hurried departure Thursday afternoon from their now floodwater damaged home in Jackson, Miss., as they prepare start cleanup Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoRogelio V. Solis)
Rain was still falling across a wide area from eastern Texas to South Carolina and flood warnings covered much of the South. The National Weather Service said as much as 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain could fall overnight across central Mississippi, causing additional flooding.
Some school systems in east Alabama delayed opening Wednesday because of heavy rains.
A muddy soaked rug is evidence of the Pearl River flooding this Jackson, Miss., home, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. Residents have started cleanup to lessen the danger of mold. (AP PhotoRogelio V. Solis)