(Michael Flood) It’s summertime. Let the adventures begin, but let's remember safety first. Don't let distracted driving ruin your summer. Parents, your kids are watching, so put the phone down. That message can wait until you arrive. Be aware and alert for other drivers, work zones, and roadside workers. Let's make this summer one for the books by cutting out distracted driving.

Stay updated on travel conditions this summer by downloading the MDOT traffic mobile app and visiting MDOTtraffic.com.

[Music and Intro]

(Drew Hall) MDOT presents The Extra Mile Podcast

(Paul Katool) Welcome in to another edition of the Extra Mile Podcast presented by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. I'm Paul Katool, and as always, I'm joined by my co-host, Will Craft. And today we are very happy to be at MEMA. It's really our annual visit to talk about hurricanes. Uh, once again for the second year in a row, we're with Chief Communications Officer Malary White. Thank you so much for having us and hosting us today.

(Malary White) Thanks for coming out to the State Emergency Operations Center.

(Paul) Always happy to be here. Let's just get into it. So, what we've seen, uh, it's expected to be an above normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. And so, kind of tell us what that means.

(Malary) Yeah, so NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] is predicting, um, a lot more hurricanes than what we would normally see, uh, so as far as named storms, anywhere between 17 to 25 of those named storms, they're expecting 8 to 13 hurricanes. And then of those hurricanes, 4 to 7 major hurricanes. So that's category three or higher. And so, uh, lots of prep. And I know a lot of people probably have some anxiety hearing those numbers, but the past few years we have had above average predictions and knock on wood, we, we were spared last year. Unfortunately, Florida wasn't, but we were.

(Paul) That is good. Let's keep that rolling.

(Will Craft) That's exactly right. In light of that, what's, uh, maybe it may be just standard procedure, uh, for you folks over here now, but what, what are some of the things you've been doing to sort of prepare, uh, as we enter this, this on this untimely season?
(Malary) So a lot of people don't get to see the prep work behind. So how did the emergency managers prepare? Well, we have 16 emergency support functions that we coordinate here at MEMA, and it is made up of, uh, multiple state agencies, MDOT being one of them. They are ESF 1, Emergency Support Function 1. External Affairs, what we do is ESF 15. And we have held about seven different types of hurricane exercises. Our last big one was the HurrEx where we brought in all of the emergency coordinating officers from each state agency. And we ran through a simulated hurricane exercise. So all right, this hurricane hit at this time. It's making landfall. Are we doing contraflow? Do we have students that need to be evacuated from a school? Various different types of situations. And then how are we going to communicate that to the public? We also partnered with the Mississippi National Guard and did a logistics exercise.

All right, so a hurricane has hit, and we have to open up commodity points of distribution sites for people to get tarps and water and those types of things. How do we exercise that? So there's actually a lot of behind the scenes work that goes through. We follow something, it’s called the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. It is on our website, msema.org, for anybody to go out and see, we have a hurricane annex and you can see it broken down from over 100 hours out before landfall, all the way up to landfall of how the state is preparing, not just MEMA, but all the agencies.

(Will) Love that. Piggyback right off that question. You're talking about some of the resources that are out there and available. What else kind of is out there for people to take a look at or even just to be aware of?

(Malary) Yeah, to get ready for hurricane season, I do encourage people to download our new MEMA app. It rolled out last spring and then we had major disasters happen around the same time of its rollout. But you can, it's free in the App Store, Apple and Android. Just search Mississippi Emergency. You can download it. One of the cool features about this app, and it was something I was adamant about in the build out process is um, so say I, I live in Brandon. So, I can, uh, drop a pin and monitor all of Rankin County or move the radius out and monitor the entire metro area for, uh, tornado watches and warnings, freeze watches and warnings, all kinds of different types of weather that we experience. But not only that. My mama lives in Lamar County, and I can drop a pin on Lamar County and also monitor that area too for her. And so that was one of the, the features that I was adamant about having to cover the entire state of Mississippi. And it's actually very user friendly. It will prompt you whenever you go to set up.

But also on there, um, there is a plug for MDOT. There, there is a link to MDOT's website so you can see traffic cameras, um, because you are a major partner in that. You can get shelter information, but there are checklists too. So how do you prepare for a disaster? You need to have a disaster go kit. Well, what needs to be in that kit? And we put a checklist on there. And then you can also get lots of information from the guides and products that we do, too. Um, we have a new hurricane guide out this year. Uh, we also use MDOT's evacuation map in our hurricane guide. We also have a preparedness guide for older adults. That was actually a lesson we learned following the March 24th tornadoes last year of just how older adults may not be as prepared as we would hope for them to be. And so, uh, we did a guide specifically targeted for them. So, we have lots of products out there, all free for the public.

(Will) Awesome.

(Malary) Just give us a call, go online and we can set you up.

(Will) Love that. Yeah. All the, all the travel resources and stuff, as you mentioned, we've got our stuff out there too. Paul can rattle off all the links, uh, the URLs.

(Paul) Let's go. So, we have it all in one place, really. Go to GoMDOT.com/hurricanes. The main thing there is our hurricane evacuation guide. Like Malary mentioned, if you're in south Mississippi, really those six coastal counties, you really want to look at that and kind of plan your way out before we get any further in in hurricanes, in hurricane season for sure. And we appreciate all the resources that you all have out there. Can you tell us one more time where exactly to go to? To get those.
(Malary) Yeah. So, um, to get the MEMA app, go to your app store on your phone and search Mississippi Emergency. But if you go to our website, MSEMA.org, you can actually download those or just give us a call here at MEMA (601) 933-6362 and we will be happy to snail mail you hard copies of any of our guides that you may need. We do this a lot. Um, especially with schools and churches, nonprofit organizations. Uh, we go out and talk to a lot of folks. We go to summer camps, we go to church camps. Um, and help spread the word about being prepared. So, and, and so people can actually request us to do that, too. That's also on our website, MSEMA.org, and click the contact, and you'll find, uh, a JOT form to fill out to request us to come and speak.

(Paul) Excellent, excellent. Lots of good resources there. So, again, if you're in South Mississippi, those six coastal counties, check them out. So, let's say, we don't want this to happen, we don't want a hurricane, but let's say there, there is one. Uh, something you mentioned last time on the show, that 72-hour rule. Can you talk more about that?

(Malary) So the first 72 is on you after a disaster. This is a big message that we push and people are kind of like, well, well, why? Well, you got to think about the second after a disaster hits and this really the 72 hours after it hits, what are the local officials trying to do? They are doing search and rescue. So they are trying to find people. Um, MDOT is out trying to clear the roadways so people like MEMA and our search and rescue teams can actually go out there and find people and not only that, if we were to get the FEMA machine requested and up and running, it's going to take at least 72 hours for us to start moving these commodities in to these areas and commodities such as tarps and water and things like that.

And so we do have plans in place. We have pre-identified points of distribution, um, for where we would, would hand out water and tarps to the public. However, if it's destroyed during a hurricane, that plan is now, we're having to move to plan B now, or plan C. So, there are a lot of assessments that are happening in the first 72 hours. We're also trying to get a plan B. pulse check from our local EMA directors of just how bad is the damage? How big does this response need to be? Um, are businesses up and running? Because if businesses are open and power is out or power is actually running, that changdes our response. But if businesses are closed, there is absolutely no power, then you're probably going to get a full throttle response from us. And so, it all depends on the need of those survivors and what the damage actually looks like, uh, in the impacted area.

(Will) Yeah. I want to mention this one thing, cause it's, it's, uh, it's something I can laugh about now, but I think we mentioned this on last year's show, too, in that 72-hour window, what is the one thing that we would love for you not to do, right? Let's get out and go sightseeing during this time. Going to check out the damage and what's happened here and there. Uh, I was in the Hattiesburg when the tornado hit several years ago. Uh, I'm still in, I was still in college at the time and, uh, made it through the storm. Our house got destroyed, absolutely. And then got outside and started walking around and had it not been for what had to have been an angel. Uh, but a gentleman on the corner who was looking at his own damage, I was just about to touch a live power line. Just, I was looking around at all the damage and did not even think about it. So, a very dumb decision on my part, but thankful, uh, that that guy was out there and said that. But yeah, don't, don't get out and go looking at the damage and stuff. I think even, uh, Director McCraney may have mentioned that a couple years ago too, you know.

(Malary) Well, you make a very valid point, though. So, there are a lot of indirect fatalities from a storm that happened, whether it be a tornado or a hurricane. Electrocution is one of them. Carbon monoxide poisoning is another one because people don't know the safe way to hook up a generator and where to keep it outside of your home. So that's actually a very good point.

(Will) I had not thought about the carbon monoxide thing until you mentioned that. But yeah, very much so. The silent. Yeah, it will get you.

(Malary) And tetanus, too.

(Will) Oh, yeah. From touching stuff and doing different things, yeah.

(Malary) Nails and, you know, maybe stepping on a nail. Um, Department of Health, another one of our partners, another one of our emergency support functions, um, they offered tetanus shots right after Rolling Fork because so much debris cleanup was happening and, and so they were able to roll out and, and do that for citizens.

(Paul) Wow. Lots to, lots to watch out for during the disaster, for sure.

(Malary) Lots of moving parts.

(Will) We want to prepare for the storm.

(Malary) Yes.

(Will) And then we want to make it through.

(Malary) Yes.

(Will) And then we want to hunker down, you know, take care of you and yours and the folks around you. Yeah. Don't sight see, uh, try not to touch anything and definitely not live power lines out there. Good advice for any occasion, probably. Stick away from that.

Um, talking about some more of these, uh, you know, worst case scenario type situations that may occur, and that's what we're, you know, we're kind of looking at. The everyday storm, we know we'll weather those fine, but in the event of a true disaster, the contraflow, um, I don't think in my, at least my adult lifetime, I've been a part of a contraflow situation, but they can happen. It could happen, right? Um, what are kind of the steps that folks maybe need to, uh be aware of and be on the lookout for?

(Malary) So let’s understand what contraflow is. Uh, for those who are not familiar with the term, um, because I did learn other states call it other things, too. um, didn't know that. My friends in South Carolina. I honestly can’t remember what they call it now. But whenever I said, “Oh, like contraflow?” and they didn't know what we were talking about.

So, whenever we talk about contraflow, this is what happens. A hurricane is barreling towards us and Louisiana, they have very low-lying areas. They're going to need to evacuate a lot of their parishes. Um, and in order to do that, they need to enact something called contraflow. Well, the way for them to do that is their governor calls our governor and makes an official request of we, we need to evacuate people, so we need to enact contraflow. So Contraflow is taking highways that are running east and west or north and south. I'm really not great with directions, I'll just be quite honest with you. And we are flipping them and changing them to running all in one direction. So for us, it would most likely be east. Everything is now going to be moving east. And whenever I mean everything, all interstates and highways to, it is the best way to get the most people out at this time.

So, what people need to be looking out for is First off, hearing the message, um, that we are enacting contraflow. Um, and to do that, MDOT has to, I mean, y'all, y'all started like 72 hours before, uh, landfall of the storm, and you are going to see a ton of MDOT people, Department of Public Safety folks, um, going out and changing signs, and you're going to see a lot of signs, signage change, changes. Uh, you're also probably going to see an emergency alert come over your phone that MEMA has sent out. And it's a message that we've worked with, with MDOT to let people know that we will be changing the highways and the flow of the highway. And it's all going to be shooting in one direction. You will not be allowed to drive in the opposite direction. And then, um, the other thing is, and I know y'all push this message a lot, especially during hurricane season, is to at least stay, uh, keep your gas tank half-full the entire hurricane season. So, you need to do that. So, something that we think of on the MEMA side of it is, all right, we have contraflow, we are about to see an influx of people, which means our gas stations are about to see an influx of people, which means we've got to keep a tab on how much fuel each gas station has. Can fuel tanks and fuel trucks get to those gas stations? So that would probably be the only people who can actually get there, um, whenever we enact contraflow.

So, there are a lot of moving parts. Not only that, though, what happens if you break down on the side of the road? So, we're also having to consider all of these, uh, factors whenever we're exercising contraflow. Since I've been here at MEMA, I have not seen it. I have not experienced it. I hope I never have to, because that means that a very bad storm is heading our way. Um, but it, it is something, our goal is, to evacuate people and move them as far north and as far east, and we will push them and there will come a point where we will start shutting down interstate exits. Um, and so you will not be able to get off of certain exits. So that's why we encourage it. MDOT encourages, MEMA encourages, DPS will encourage have your gas tanks full. Um, make sure If you have an electric vehicle, make sure it is charged. Make sure you know where the, uh, electric vehicle charging stations are as well. Uh, there are some along Highway Fif – or Interstate 55. Um, and so all of these factors come in. So, I just encourage people, whenever that happens, uh, one of your greatest assets is having a really good, uh, news app on your phone. Having the MEMA app on your phone. Having the MDOT app on your phone. Having whatever you can, because we will also be pushing stuff, not only through the emergency alert system, but through the MEMA app as well.

(Will) Yeah.

(Malary) Does that, did that explain it? I mean, that's a lot.

(Paul) You nailed it. That's funny. One of my few memories from Hurricane Katrina back in the day was how much the gas stations were backed up and how difficult it was to get fuel. So, I'm not too old, but I do remember that. So please, you know, fill your tanks up at least half full or, or as much as you possibly can.

(Malary) Yeah.

(Paul) So that's a, that's a thing, that is for sure.

(Malary) And right after Katrina, I remember this ‘cause I was living in Lamar County. We didn't think that we were going to be as affected…

(Paul) Right.

(Malary) that far inland, um, but they put a ration on gas, $20 and that was it. Uh, yeah.

(Will) I do remember that!

(Malary) It was a whole, it was, it was a bit controversial, but you have to do what you have to do to try and make sure everyone, um, got a little bit of the supply.

(Paul) Definitely. And I was all I was living in Madison at the time. So, that's pretty far north.

(Malary) Yeah.

(Paul) But okay, so let's, let's pivot a little bit away from hurricanes and kind of talk general disaster.

(Malary) OK.

(Paul) So, we're talking FAQs little bit. So, and you got even more specific. We're talking about money. Everybody wants money, you know, when there's a disaster. So, kind of how does that process go? Maybe if you could clear up any misconceptions.

(Malary) OK, so, let's say a tornado or hurricane hits and a lot of people start asking the question, well, where is FEMA? Not MEMA, but where is FEMA? When are we going to get a check to fix this damage to our home? There are a lot of factors that go into getting FEMA assistance, and FEMA assistance is never guaranteed. I want to make that very clear for folks. Um, we have to go out and do damage assessments to homes. We are not only counting the number of homes, but we're also counting how much damage do you have because people don't realize, um, there are ranges of damage. So, it could be affected like you have a few shingles missing, it can be minor damage, uh, major damage, or completely destroyed. So, we are looking at all of those factors, but not only that, whenever we ask for FEMA assistance, we're also looking at How many people have lost their job because of this disaster? How many people have lost their modes of transportation due to this? How many people are insured or underinsured or have no insurance? All of these factors come into play whenever we are writing, and the governor is requesting a disaster declaration. So, there's so much that goes into it, but there's also something that I want to introduce people to if they are not familiar with it.

It is called the social vulnerability index. So, the social vulnerability index is a scale of zero to one, and this is how vulnerable a county is to being able to recover on their own from a disaster. And there are multiple factors that go into it. Uh, housing is one of them. Education is another one. Employment is another one. There are many factors, and you can look this up through, um, the, the CDC has information on it, uh, we have to use it. The census has information on it as well. You can see someone's social vulnerability index. And so, and I'll give you an example. Um, so the scale is zero to one, one being the least likely they are of being able to recover on their own. Sharkey County's social vulnerability index is 0.97. So, we knew, and we understood that they were going to need an all-hands approach to their recovery. And if you actually look at the social vulnerability index map, a lot of Mississippi counties have a high SVI. So, we're needed more than I think people tend to realize.

And so, whenever we do ask for a major disaster declaration, we're advocating for those that have very high social vulnerability indices. We're advocating for the people that we know we're going to need this the most. But another thing is I want people to understand is if we do get FEMA assistance, individual assistance, assistance for me and you, to like help rebuild our home, on average in Mississippi, you can get anywhere from $3,500 to $4,000. That is the average amount of what someone gets from FEMA. And that's not enough to rebuild a home.

(Will) No.

(Malary) So, there are a lot of factors that go into requesting a federal declaration. But when FEMA comes in, they are going to be looking at the need of the individual. Um, so your needs are going to be different from his needs and my needs. So you may get more money than I get or he gets. And so, yeah, it all depends on your needs.

(Will) How dare you, Paul.

(Malary) So, that is just something that I wanted to clear up is even if FEMA assistance is available, it is not meant to make you whole. And FEMA assistance is not always available. And so, we have encouraged counties to form something called long term recovery committees. So, whenever we don't get a federal disaster declaration, the state can, can give these long-term recovery committees money for building materials only. And then, that's whenever we work with our faith-based and non-profit organizations and volunteers to get out there and help make repairs to homes.

(Will) Yeah I love that, and y'all did a great job staying on top of everything. We always appreciate coming out here and getting the updates and, and honestly The commonsense reminders on to be prepared and what's ahead. Uh, are there any other programs or education pieces, literature things that we haven't talked about maybe that folks should check out or be aware of?

(Malary) Our, our partners at the Department of Human Services, um, they also have a lot of programs. They have a brand-new website. I do recommend people, especially for folks who, um, receive SNAP benefits or, or receive those types of benefits from or through that agency, um, to look up some of the other options that may be for you. But that is also something that we help, uh, in messaging after a disaster. Um, the, they have some very important programs out there, and I do encourage people to look more into what the Department of Human Services can offer.

(Will) Yeah.

(Malary) I'm not their spokesperson, but we work very closely with them.

(Will) That's right. Spokesman, spokeslady for the state as a whole. That’s right.

(Paul) There we go.

(Will) All the agencies. What was the thing you were mentioning too about the, uh, I guess it's the stress or anxiety for the storms?

(Malary) Yes. So, this year we started partnering with the Department of Mental Health, and the reason we did it is, um, really during our unofficial tornado season in spring, um, I noticed whenever we would share a statewide graphic of, hey, we're expecting to see severe weather. The risk is two out of five or the risk is three out of five. Three out of five risk is a very high risk for tornadoes. Um, two out of five is still a possibility for it, too, though. But I noticed our followers and people who shared these graphics, they just kept saying, “Oh my gosh, I'm so scared.” “Oh my gosh, I just don't know what I'm going to do.” Or, “Oh my gosh, we're not getting a break from this.” And there is a sense of anxiety. I have friends who are the same way. Um, she had a tree fall through her house due to straight line winds. It wasn't even a tornado. And so, she has anxiety as well.

And so, what I wanted to do was, first off, identify it and like, what is storm anxiety? And it's, it's obsessive thoughts about potential storms and feeling distress when thunderstorms are forecasted. Um, if anyone's ever felt that they're like, oh, maybe I have storm anxiety. And then I wanted to, we not just I, we wanted to share ways of how to cope with, um, and one way of coping with storm anxiety is to simply be prepared to weather the storm. And I know it seems so simple but taking just these extra precautions of I do have a disaster go kit. I do have canned food. I do have bottles of water to go. Um, I do have my shoes right next to me ready to go. I have my keys with me. I've got my dog's leash ready to go. It's having these, all of these factors into place that will help calm you.

Another thing I recommend is staying informed, but staying informed by the trusted communicators. And I'm not talking me, we are going to put information out there. We're going to let you know what is coming and how to prepare for it. But we're not the meteorologists. Our trusted people that we go to, it's the National Weather Service. We, we work with them, but we also work with your local trusted meteorologist as well. And I do recommend, um, whomever your favorite is local news. And, and I was, I'm a product of, of being from local news. Um, we care. We live here just like you, and they live here just like we do as well. And they want to help inform, and I feel like they also carry a burden with them that whenever a tornado comes through and lives are lost, they feel a sense of responsibility.

(Will) Sure.

(Malary) And so, um, weather radio is another one. Understanding the terms. Uh, people not understanding the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. We compare it to tacos.

(Will) I was about to say that taco analogy

(Paul) It’s good.

(Will) stuck with me.

(Malary) We have a lot of food analogies here.

(Will) I love it.

(Malary) So with hurricanes, we have spaghetti models. Um, with, uh, with tornadoes, we have tacos. And for us, the way I explain what we do at MEMA is a whole pizza analogy thing. So, we got a lot of food references here, but with Tornado watches and warnings. A watch is we've got the ingredients for tacos.

(Paul) Yes.

(Malary) And a warning is we are having tacos. So, you need to find a safe space to go. And then also just know that you're not alone. A huge part of recovery and going through a disaster, and I will tell you this, is you meet people who are simply there just to help.

(Will) Sure.

(Malary) And, and having neighbors just saying just wanted to check in on you. Make sure you're doing good. I saw the news. I hope you're doing okay. I have friends and colleagues who live in certain areas. I'll text my team and say, Are you doing okay? I saw the system came through Clinton. Are you all right? Yes. And so, checking on your other folks, checking on those who are more vulnerable, like your older population or those with babies, um, because they also have an extra anxiety with their new babies.

(Will) No doubt. I think that resonates very well in this room these days.

(Paul) Absolutely.

(Will) Everybody got kids.

(Malary) We all got kids.

(Paul) For sure. So, listen, uh, very heavy episode, lots of good information. We'll get to the fun questions, but just kind of want to reemphasize the relationship with MDOT and MEMA. We work pretty, pretty closely together.

(Malary) Yeah, we do. And uh, y'all are, uh, one of the, one of the first calls that we make whenever, before, during and after a disaster. And, uh, we're, we're asking what can we do to help you and, and vice versa. And, uh, we share each other's messages. I think we've worked very closely whenever the freeze came through.

(Paul) Yes.

(Malary) And, uh, we, we experience a wide range of weather here from freezing to heat and all of that in between, but, um, we could not do what we do at MEMA without our partners like MDOT and sharing the load of whenever we say it is a state response for a disaster. It truly is all of these state agencies coming together to respond for the betterment of Mississippians.

(Paul) No doubt. What does Brad say? Uh, state government's a team sport?

(Will) That's right.

(Paul) There we go.

(Malary) It is.

(Will) It’s very true, too.

(Malary) We’re not in this alone.

(Will) That’s right. Um, and with that, Paul, give us our links one more time for our stuff.

(Paul) Sure. Yeah, that's GoMDOT.com/hurricanes. You can get our hurricane evacuation guide there. You can download it and order a hard copy. For sure.

(Will) Love that. And we should probably, you know, life's about growth and opportunities to learn and do better. With you guys having us linked to y'all's stuff, we should probably –

(Paul) Let’s do it.

(Will) return the favor there.

(Paul) Yeah, let’s do that.

(Will) Uh, you know again.

(Malary) It’s about time!

(Will) See!

(Malary) No.

(Will) Got to get it in the right spot. Um, and then one more time for the links, uh, for you guys.

(Malary) Yes, so, MSEMA.org, that is our website. You can find anything and everything on there. We're also on Facebook, on X, and Instagram as well. Um, come follow us @MSEMA. And, uh, we share a lot of our information there, but we're also on Nextdoor.

(Will) Yeah.

(Malary) Uh, we, you will see some geo-targeted messages to specific areas. Um, whenever there is a disaster, or we know that weather is coming up. So, I do encourage people to follow us there. And then we have wonderful YouTube videos, um, produced by our team in-house. Uh, one way to engage children is we have a, a informational, an informational robot. His name is MEMITE. And so, I do recommend going out there and looking at MEMITE videos.

(Will) Absolutely.

(Malary) Um, and it also, we also have Axel our rock and roll ant for earthquake preparedness because we also have earthquakes here in Mississippi, up in north Mississippi. So, hurricanes down south and earthquakes up north. But oh, hurricanes, though, are not just a coastal problem, though.

(Will) This is true.

(Malary) That's one more thing I want to say. Yeah, hurricanes are not a coastal, not just a coastal problem. Now they may take the brunt of it, but it can go all the way throughout the entire state.

(Will) The flooding and everything else still contributes to issues.

(Malary) The heat.

(Will) Yeah, the heat. The one I did not think about as it's 128 degrees outside. Um, we tried to do this episode outside. Just kidding. Uh, well, love that. And again, appreciate all the info and all the hard work you guys do. Um, it is truly a team effort, but with partners like you folks, uh, we don't have to worry a whole lot about everything being where it's supposed to be and things going according to plan, organization, um, director here is great staff, great team. We appreciate y’all very much.

(Malary) We appreciate y’all, too!

(Will) And with that, let's lighten it up a little bit. We're going to talk about some food and music. This couldn't be our podcast if we didn't hit those two high notes.

(Malary) Love it.

(Will) Um, we're going to give some honorable mentions here. So last time we were in the house, we had, we asked her for where she likes to go eat and she gave us 12 different places. A couple of those though, Cuevas Fish House, excellent spot. Local 463, another good spot. Paul's, uh, old home base there. Have you been anywhere maybe, uh, new?

(Malary) Um, it's not new to me, but I really do love Boure. It's on the square in Oxford. Um, I know all the Starkville, all the Mississippi State fans are just kind of like, ugh, but it really is good. Um, I'm trying to think of some other places, you know, and I, I hate to be cheesy, but the best place to get any type of good meal is at mama's house.

(Will) For sure.

(Malary) That's not a restaurant, that's my mama's house. And so, um. Yeah, I hate to be cheesy, but it is the truth. Um, you know what? I do have one more.

(Will) OK.

(Malary) I need to give a shout out to, uh, Como Steakhouse.

(Will) Oh, yeah!

(Malary) In Como, Mississippi.

(Paul) Oh, yeah!

(Malary) Oh my gosh. I had it for the first time. I think it was last football season.

(Will) Welcome to the show!

(Malary) And I was just like, oh.

(Will) Yeah, it's up there.

(Malary) This is amazing! And the baked potato’s huge. And it's just stuffed with all kinds of good stuff, and they cook the steak right there.

(Will) They know what they’re doing up there!

(Malary) Oh my goodness.

(Will) They do it right. If you’ve never been to Como Steakhouse, give them, yeah, check that out.

(Malary) And they, do they do the fried pickle spears? I wanna say.

(Will) I don’t know. I don’t remember having any room for anything except for the steak and potatoes.
(Malary) I think they have like a fried dill pickle spear thing. I don’t know. Just try it all. It’s all really good.

(Will) We’ll go check it out. We got time?

(Paul) Yeah.

(Will) Swing by there.

(Malary) Yeah. Como, Mississippi.

(Will) Love that. And then we're gonna have a new little, a little sidebar question here off that same thing though. Dessert. What's your go to dessert? On the spot. On the spot.

(Malary) I am a bread pudding girl.

(Will) Oh yeah.

(Paul) Can’t go wrong.

(Malary) So, Lou’s Full-Serv.

(Will) I got way too excited about that.

(Malary) Lou’s Full-Serve in Jackson, um, has some of the best bread pudding. And I used to live in Louisiana. And so, Lou’s Full-Serve has some –

(Will) That’s good stuff.

(Malary) of the best bread pudding, and they serve it a la mode. And, uh,

(Will) Oh, that does sound good.

(Malary) It’s just amazing.

(Will) I guess we’re gonna have to go eat after this.

(Malary) I know. So good.

(Will) For sure. Uh, shameless, uh, shoutout to, uh, the former Two Sisters there in Jackson. That was my favorite place to get bread pudding. Had a little bread pudding and bourbon sauce. Change your life.

(Malary) Mmm.

(Will) Also, the best fried chicken. One of the best fried chicken, uh, places around, uh, RIP.

(Malary) Uh, Roosters, um, they just opened up a location in Flowood.

(Will) That’s right.

(Paul) Oh!

(Malary) And it’s still awesome.

(Will) I think that was your shoutout in the last episode, too. Yeah, she’s consistent, you know. Well, that’s good, that’s good.

(Paul) There we go.

(Malary) We could do a whole show just on this.

(Will) We’re okay with that.

(Paul) Yeah, we’re pivoting. And all that was zero calories, for sure.

(Will) Yeah.

(Paul) Alright, so let's, uh, one more question. We'll make it quick. So, any concerts you've been to in the last year that you want to shout out anything, anything big?

(Malary) Um, so, I recently did go to the amphitheater for the very first time.

(Will) Oh, nice.

(Malary) Um, it was super nice. Never been there before. Um, highly recommended it for anyone who hasn't. Um, Dylan Scott, though, recently performed there. He was actually really excellent. Uh, love his music. I'm a huge country music fan. Um, I didn't get to go see her whenever she was here, but I love Megan Maroney.

(Will) Oh yeah, at the State Fair this past year, right?

(Malary) Yeah, and so, she's the emo cowgirl. I've been listening to a lot of her music, and so I just, I love her too.

(Will) That's fantastic. And I know, Paul, this was your question, but I want to piggyback off of that.

(Paul) Go for it.

(Will) We, uh, we very much are big fans of the Brandon Amphitheater, too. So much so that we hope to be doing our next episode from the Brandon Amphitheater. Shout out. If anybody that works there sees this episode, we're gonna come looking for you guys. Um, but they've got a bunch of great shows. I mean, they do a really good job. The production's awesome, uh, out there. So, love the Brandon Amphitheater. Shout out. We do not get any free tickets or anything from that, so don't misconstrue this. Uh, good stuff, though. Great answers. Great answers.

(Paul) Absolutely. We might be heading your way, Brandon Amphitheater. But anyway, great episode. Malary, again, like what Will said, uh, appreciate everything that MEMA does, that you and your staff do. So, thank you.

(Malary) Thanks for having me.

(Paul) Absolutely. We'll go ahead and wrap things there. We want to thank our listeners, our viewers for tuning into the Extra Mile Podcast. You can watch and listen to episodes by visiting GoMDOT.com/TheExtraMile. Follow us on social media, especially during disasters @MississippiDOT is the handle there. We want to thank our editor/producer, Drew Hall, for holding things down behind the scenes. And remember to drive smart out there on Mississippi highways.

(Will) Thank you for subscribing to The Extra Mile podcast. Help us out by leaving a review and a five-star rating wherever you download the show. After leaving a review, slide on into our DMs over on social media @MississippiDOT and let us know. As a thank you, we have compiled a Google Map list of all of our guests’ favorite spots to eat on Mississippi Highways. It is our gift to you. Seriously, you guys are the best. We could not do the show without you, and we greatly appreciate the support. Remember, drive smart out there on Mississippi Highways.

[Outro Music]