Nonprofit Helping Rolling Fork Residents Displaced By Deadly Tornado Become Homeowners

Prior to the tornado on March 24, approximately 68% of the residents of Rolling Fork were renters.

Roughly eight months after it was devastated by a catastrophic EF4 tornado, the recovery of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, continues. The tornado killed 15 people and leveled the small, rural city, destroyed homes and businesses, and displaced nearly all of its 1,700 residents.

Good Morning America’s "Mississippi Strong" series has been chronicling Rolling Fork’s grassroots effort to get back on its feet since April. This week, host Robin Roberts returned to the city to see how far they’ve come and to highlight the leaders and charitable organizations that have stepped up to help their community rebuild.

GMA spoke with Britt Williamson, a resident and pastor who took his beloved city’s recovery efforts “into his own hands” by turning former renters into homeowners.

Prior to the tornado on March 24, approximately 68% of the residents of Rolling Fork were renters. Recognizing this as a significant hurdle to recovery, Williamson launched a nonprofit called Rolling Fork Rising to help these families return as homeowners.

Williamson told GMA that the organization is building 1,200-1,300 square-foot homes for former renters to buy at a discounted price.

"Rolling Fork was almost completely destroyed," he said. "So, we're trying to bring hope and help these families rise up."

Dr. Miriam Hamilton, a therapist, is another community leader putting her heart and soul into the city’s recovery.

"Most of the population here was renters," she explained to GMA. "And a lot of the people that own the rental property, they can't rebuild the properties back."

Hamilton, whose home and office were both destroyed in the tornado, drives to meet patients and often sees them free of charge.

"There's nowhere like Rolling Fork," she told GMA.

For more information and to donate to Rolling Fork Rising, visit rollingforkrising.org.

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