Mississippi news: Coastal flood advisory, Greenwood jobs and Southaven search

Evening edition — Friday, October 2, 2026

A new coastal flood advisory takes effect tonight as Mississippi heads into a wet weekend. Friday also brings a planned manufacturing investment in Greenwood, a Southaven police appeal for help finding a teenager and new details on Jackson interstate work. Along the Coast, Pascagoula residents face a weeklong records-office closure; statewide, the auditor is drawing attention to nonprofit spending, and Delta residents have a wildlife-management question session ahead.

Coastal flood advisory runs from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday

The National Weather Service’s 3:05 p.m. coastal hazard message places southern Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties under a coastal flood advisory from 10 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday, October 3. Minor flooding is expected, with high-tide water levels reaching 1–2 feet above normally dry ground.

The advisory identifies potential flooding of roads, parks and lots, with isolated road closures. It is a new overnight advisory, separate from the one that expired Friday morning. NWS says further advisories may be needed over the weekend. Protect flood-prone property, allow extra travel time and obey barricades.

The office’s evening forecast retains 4–6 inches of rain through Sunday, primarily along and south of I-10. Its afternoon discussion allows isolated worst-case totals of 8–10 inches in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. That upper range is not a forecast for every neighborhood. Heavy rainfall and elevated tides are separate hazards that can complicate coastal travel.

Janus plans nearly $2.1 million Greenwood manufacturing operation

Gasifier manufacturer Janus Organization plans to locate operations in Greenwood, creating 13 jobs with a corporate investment of nearly $2.1 million, according to the Mississippi Development Authority’s October 2 announcement. The company expects to begin operating in mid-2027.

The planned facility will manufacture equipment for treating specialty waste streams, including medical, pharmaceutical and rubber-tire material. MDA describes gasifiers as using high heat to break down waste and reduce its volume. Those descriptions come from the development agency; the release does not provide independent emissions testing.

MDA says it is assisting through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX, program, with Greenwood and Leflore County also supporting the project. The announcement does not put a dollar value on that public assistance or give a hiring-application link.

The jobs and investment are project commitments announced today, rather than confirmation of an already operating plant or filled positions. The expected opening gives the Delta project a different timetable from immediate hiring notices.

Southaven police ask for help finding 14-year-old

Southaven Police Department’s missing-person notice asks the public to help locate Sherlin Danae Barreto-Mendoza, 14. Police say she was last seen around 10 p.m. September 29 in the Desoto Woods area.

The department describes her as Hispanic, 5 feet tall and 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Her clothing was not known. Anyone with information should call Southaven police at 662-393-8652 or email tips@southaven.org.

Our Friday afternoon report relays that appeal. The original notice remained an appeal for information when checked for this edition; it did not announce that she had been located. The September 29 last-seen date should not be confused with Friday’s publication of the report. Send information directly to the department so officers can assess it.

Jackson I-20 work gets new weekend hours

MDOT’s traffic records, updated at 5:21 p.m. Friday, list a westbound I-20 right-lane closure between State Street, Exit 45B, and I-55 South, Exit 44, from 11 p.m. Saturday, October 3, until noon Sunday. The listed work concerns a barrier wall or divider.

A second work period on that segment runs from 9 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday, October 5. These are lane restrictions, distinct from the short full I-55 closure associated with Sunday’s demolition of the former Department of Public Safety tower.

For that demolition, MDOT now lists both directions of I-55 between Lakeland Drive and Fortification Street closed from 7:45 to 8:15 a.m. Sunday. The timing adds a planned end time to the earlier announcement. Drivers should still check MDOT before leaving and allow for changing conditions. Read the tower-demolition coverage.

Inland forecast emphasizes scattered rain and localized higher totals

NWS Jackson’s afternoon discussion clarifies that higher weekend totals will be localized. Some places along and southeast of the Natchez Trace Parkway could receive 1–3 inches, but forecasters caution against reading the regional rainfall map as a prediction of widespread totals that high.

Showers and storms should increase Saturday and Sunday, with breaks between them. Saturday daytime rain chances are 60% in Jackson and 80% in Hattiesburg, compared with 70% and 90% in the morning forecast. Repeated downpours can still leave water on roads and in poorly drained areas.

For north Mississippi, NWS Memphis’s afternoon update allows Mid-South weekend accumulations up to 2 inches, compared with the morning’s roughly one-inch outlook. Heavy downpours remain the main concern, with another round of thunderstorms possible Saturday evening. Cooler, mostly dry conditions follow Monday. See the earlier regional weather report, with these later changes in mind.

Pascagoula records office closes October 5–9

The Pascagoula Police Department says its Records Division will close Monday through Friday, October 5–9, while records-management specialists attend training. The notice concerns that division’s services and does not announce a closure of the entire police department.

Residents seeking accident reports during the closure can use the state crash-report portal. Pascagoula’s instructions call for the case number, driver’s last name and agency name, Pascagoula Police Department 3005. The portal restricts access to people authorized to obtain the report and tells purchasers to save their downloaded copy because emailed access lasts 24 hours.

The department says surrounding agencies can process fingerprints during the closure. It does not name a specific alternate agency or promise walk-in availability, so residents should check arrangements before traveling. Read the full records-office notice.

Auditor points readers to nonprofit spending dashboard

The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor reports that state government paid almost $2.79 billion to nonprofit organizations across fiscal years 2021–2025. Its current public notice directs taxpayers to a spending dashboard under the office’s Reports tab.

The dashboard’s official landing page identifies Transparency.ms.gov as the source of its data. The figure covers five fiscal years; it is not an announced new grant package or a single year’s spending.

The payment total alone does not establish that a recipient misused money. Readers examining the information should distinguish a record of payments from an audit finding about a particular organization. Friday’s community briefing also covers the auditor’s notice and other local updates.

Cleveland wildlife Q&A opens a practical registration window

MDWFP, Mississippi State University Extension and MSU DeerLab are inviting residents to an Ask a Biologist session October 15 in Cleveland. The program runs from 6 to 8 p.m., with check-in at 5:30 p.m.

The official registration page gives the location as the Bolivar County Extension Office, 406 North Martin Luther King Drive. Registration costs $10 and includes a catered meal; the organizers ask attendees to register by October 12 to secure a meal ticket.

Biologists will answer questions about deer, waterfowl, turkey, quail, small game, habitat, pollinators and nuisance species. The event is directed to landowners, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts and other interested residents. It is an educational question session, rather than an announcement of changes to hunting rules. Read our event coverage.

Featured graphic: NWS Jackson’s October 2, 5:27 a.m. rain-timing forecast for its region, highlighting Sunday daytime. Later forecast changes are explained above; coastal advisory information comes from NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge. Credit: US National Weather Service Jackson Mississippi.

Compiled with AI assistance from Mississippi News Group coverage and linked official sources. See our editorial standards.