Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement.
Governor Tate Reeves today announced that the state of Mississippi continues to work with county, state, federal, and private sector partners to respond to the severe winter weather impacting the state. Sadly, five more deaths have been reported – one in Yazoo County, one in Lafayette County, one in Benton County, and two Panola County.
Utility crews continue to make progress restoring power. Approximately 61,100 outages remain, down from a high of about 180,000.
A total of 41 counties have submitted 571 requests for assistance. The state of Mississippi continues to deploy requested personnel and resources to impacted counties.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation continues to perform winter weather treatments on state-maintained roads. You can check live road conditions by downloading the free MDOT Traffic app (App Store or Google Play) or by visiting MDOTtraffic.com.
Dangerously cold temperatures continue to impact Mississippi and are expected to last through the weekend. There are currently 84 warming centers and shelters open across 49 counties, serving approximately 1,200 residents. Medical shelters in Lafayette County and Alcorn County were tending to 26 patients. Mississippians are encouraged to take advantage of a nearby warming center or shelter tonight if they do not have heat. For the latest list of open warming centers and shelters, please visit: January 2026 Winter Weather | Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
As Governor Reeves announced yesterday, he has extended the Mississippi National Guard deployment by another seven days. 650 Soldiers are handling a long list of missions in impacted areas of North Mississippi. Some of their missions include:
- Civilian support and route clearance in Tippah County
- Drone support in Lafayette County
- Road clearance in Alcorn County
- Road clearance and refueling city vehicles in Panola County
- Road clearance in Tate County
- Water assistance in Union County
Other state agencies also continue to perform response missions. Some of those missions include:
- The Mississippi Department of Health is deploying Shelter Strike Teams with equipment and supplies. They’ve also deployed Medical Needs Shelters and ambulance medical service personnel in Alcorn County and Lafayette County.
- The Mississippi Forestry Commission is deploying 13 personnel to Tippah County and 13 personnel to Holmes County to clear road debris and conduct saw work.
- The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is deploying uniformed officers with marked patrol units to Alcorn County and Lafayette County to assist with welfare checks and emergency calls.
- The Mississippi State Department of Health is deploying two ambulances with four personnel to provide emergency medical services to treat and transport.
- The Mississippi Highway Patrol has more than 30 uniformed officers with marked patrol units handling traffic and assisting with daily calls for help.
Volunteer organizations are also stepping up to help. Some of these organizations include: Eight Days of Hope, Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, The Cajun Navy, The MS Baptist Disaster Relief Group, Mercy Chefs, World Central Kitchen, God’s Pit Crew, Christ in Action, Team Rubicon, Oak Park Church (Mobile, Alabama), Baby2Baby, MS Urban League, Pine Lake Church, Operation BBQ, and others. For more information on how your organization can assist in the severe winter weather response, please visit: January 2026 Winter Weather | Mississippi Emergency Management Agency

1 comment:
The “Shelter Strike Team” sounds serious.
Post a Comment