Roof is ripped off of Pass home that’s still being renovated by new owners

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (WLOX) - A couple from Louisiana are counting their blessings as they clean up the devastation left behind in the Pass Christian home they are still renovating.

BJ and Erika Smith currently live in Metairie but bought the home on Bayou Portage last summer. Early Thursday morning, they got a call saying that the house had received damage from the storms that rolled through South Mississippi late Wednesday, spinning up what’s believed to be several tornadoes.

When they arrived, however, they weren’t prepared for just how much damage there was at the house. A bright blue sky can now be seen shining into the living room, sunlight pouring into the house from the gaping hole left after the roof was torn off.

“It’s pretty catastrophic. Every room is completely destroyed,” said Erika Smith. “We’re pretty much trying to mitigate and salvage what we can - things like pictures, art - and then we’re going to piece it back together and move on.”

The couple bought the residence as a second home and were still in the process of renovating it.

“We got it last summer. We just finished painting, renovating, putting new blinds,” said Erika. “Last weekend, we finished painting the very last room. We were ready to relax this weekend and enjoy it so when we got the call it was shock.”

While it’s a stroke of bad luck for the couple, they are just grateful that no one was injured and that their neighbors’ homes are all okay.

“(It’s) not the lottery you want to win, the one house on the street (to be hit). But, you know, I’m glad nobody else has had to go through this and we’re blessed that we’re all okay and we weren’t here when it happened,” Erika continued.

Reports have come in from across the Mississippi Gulf Coast of properties being damaged, with the most reports so far in Jackson County.

While it’s believed to have been multiple tornadoes, that information was still waiting to be confirmed. On Thursday morning, the National Weather Service was on the ground, surveying damage in Vancleave and other areas.

Other reports from south Gautier, Long Beach, and Wade have also been sent to the WLOX newsroom. So far, authorities have not reported any injuries.

If you received property damage from Wednesday night’s storm, please first contact your county Emergency Management Agency to report the damage.

If the county receives this request and they understand just how many people need assistance, they can make a request to MEMA for resources. Click here to find your local EMA office. You can also self-report damage to MEMA online at this link.

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