Residents of Tchula, located in the state’s poorest county, Holmes County, have been affected by Tchula Lake’s recent flooding. Although some residents’ lives and homes are in serious danger, officials have not declared the area as a disaster zone. Here are images from the area and the faces of the people dealing with the flood experience.

John Knight takes a photo of the flooding in Tchula during the Mississippi Chapter of Poor People’s Campaign poverty tour Saturday, March 23, 2019.
Cody Washington is photographed in Tchula, Miss. during the Mississippi Chapter of Poor People’s Campaign poverty tour Saturday, March 23, 2019. “Poverty is a serious issue here, and something needs to change soon,” said Washington.
Flood water surrounds a home in Tchula, Miss. Saturday, March 23, 2019.
Geneva Williams sits on her porch in Tchula, Miss. Saturday, March 23, 2019. Residents in the Tchula, one of the poorest cities in the state, have been affected by the recent flooding in the Delta.
Mobile homes near East Main Street in Tchula, Miss., Saturday, March 23, 2019.
A water mark is seen on a mobile home as a result of the flooding in Tchula, Miss.
Jennie Jefferson expresses emotion as she talks about the recent flooding near her home and the damage it caused to her car in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019. Jefferson is still making payments on her car, but she is unable to afford repairs.
Jennie Jefferson’s car, which was damaged by the flooding, is photographed in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Flooding in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Flood waters from Tchula Lake, seen directly behind Jennie Jefferson’s home, has risen due to heavy rainfall.
Jennie Jefferson stands near her car, which was damaged by the flooding, in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019. Jefferson is still making payments on her car, but she is unable to afford repairs.
Dorothy Robertson photographed inside of her home in Tchula, Miss. Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Dorothy Robertson is photographed inside of her home in Tchula, Miss. Thursday, May 9, 2019. Robertson had some damage to her home due to the flooding. She has also had to deal with snakes near her home where her young grandson lives.
Tchula is located in the among the poorest counties in Mississippi, Holmes County. The flooding of Tchula Lake have worsened living conditions for some residents in the town.
Jacqueline Fisher stands her granddaughter Rihanna Barret, 2, as she remembers her experiences with the flooding in Tchula caused by Tchula Lake.
Two-year-old Rihanna Barret is photographed on the steps on her grandmother’s home in Tchula, Miss. Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Mobile home that were affected by the flooding of Tchula Lake is seen in Tchula, Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Elizabeth Coats examines the conditions of her Tchula home May 9, 2019 following recent flooding. Clothing, purses, linens, newspapers, notebooks, toiletries, electronics and picture frames overwhelm every surface in her trailer, including a brown striped sectional. While recent floodwaters did not enter the inside of Coats’ dilapidated home, it looks like they could have.
Elizabeth Coats talks about her hardships due to the flooding in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Ella Mae Winters recalls her experiences with the flooding in Tchula and the assistance from emergency personnel that helped the residents of the small town.
L.D. Miller is photographed in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019. Despite the conditions of the flooding due to the rise of Tchula Lake, Miller keeps an upbeat attitude and remains positive for his community.
Calvin Head, a farmer in Tchula, Miss., discusses how the recent flooding in the town has affected farmers in the area.
Geneva Williams looks out of the screen door as she sits on her front porch at her home in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Willie Tucker surveys the damage of a home that was severely damaged by the flooding in Tchula, Miss., in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Damage caused by the flooding of Tchula Lake is seen in a home in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Willie Tucker walks out of a home that was severely damaged by the flooding in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Quinton Harris, a farm laborer, is photographed in Tchula, Miss., after talking about the poor condition to the area, and how the flooding of Tchula Lake has worsened the conditions of the town’s residents, Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Harriett Carter looks at the damage in her home that was caused by the flooding of Tchula Lake in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Geneva Williams sits on her porch in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019. Residents in the Tchula, one of the poorest cities in the state, have been affected by the recent flooding in the Delta.
Geneva Williams, right, listens as her son, Willie Tucker, talks about the difficulties residents are facing caused by the flooding in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.
Geneva Williams looks out of the screen door as she sits on her front porch at her home in Tchula, Miss., Thursday, May 9, 2019.

Read our entire Flooding in Mississippi series.


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Eric J. Shelton was a 2018 corps member in Report for America, and joined the team as our first photojournalist. A native of Columbia, Miss., Eric earned his bachelor’s in photojournalism from the University of Southern Mississippi. He was a multimedia journalist for Abilene Reporter-News, chief photographer for the Hattiesburg American and photo editor for the Killeen Daily Herald before joining our team June 2018. He rejoined Mississippi Today as our health photojournalist in January 2022.