MABEN, Miss. (WTVA) -- Stephanie Contreras is back on the job 24-hours after a powerful storm forced she and her husband to take cover in a bathroom.
"While we were in there, we heard a huge noise and we thought something had hit our building. But, we couldn't find anything. We realized the top of the water tower had come off and it had hit that building and knocked some stuff off of it so it was rough," Contreras said.
The building under the water tower was the historic and former Maben City Hall.
The Methodist Church down the street has some roof and water damage.
"It scared me to death at first. But, when I came and actually looked at everything-it's damaged, but it's really actually minor," Pastor Scarlet Shepperd said.
"The wind was just switching around and kind of bad-about 70 miles per hour is what I heard. I feel lucky that it didn't do any more damage than it did," Maben Mayor Pro Tem Pat Harpole said.
Maben Water Superintendent Flip Magee says a water tower will have to be replaced, and he estimates that cost to be between $300,000-$400,000.
Mayor Larry Pruitt says he is waiting for information from the insurance agency to determine what the next step will be for tower replacement.
He says the tower has served the town well, and it dates back to the early 1930's.
While they wait for the tower to be replaced, the have a second tower that will be able to meet the water needs of some 500 residents.
