Probably one of the earliest and most challenging public safety problems facing the newly-minted Highway Patrol happened the night of Friday, 31 Mar 1939. A portion of US 80 over Clear Creek (Big Black River) west of Edwards collapsed into the raging flood. A total of 14 deaths resulted from the disaster. The courage and response of the MHSP and the dedicated volunteers, alongside the various other agencies is awesome! Leadership was not only on the scene but in the boats on the torrent trying to locate persons and vehicles in mostly-vain rescue attempts. It is inspiring to read of the actions and see a few familiar names (to us much older folks) involved in this effort.
Art Richardson
Clinton, MS