Mississippi transportation and emergency officials are urging residents to stay off the roads this weekend, unless travel is necessary, as icy conditions spread across much of the state during Winter Storm Fern.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation has reported ice on roads and bridges in multiple counties, especially across the northern region of the state, due to freezing rain and below-freezing temperatures, creating hazardous driving conditions. Officials warned that road conditions will worsen as temperatures drop.
Before Fern, MDOT crews applied more than 160,000 gallons of salt brine to interstates, highways, and bridges in what the agency described as the “largest pretreatment effort in state history.” Despite those efforts, officials are stressing that treated roads can still become slick once freezing precipitation begins. For those who have to travel via automobile, it is important to proceed slowly and safely to ensure roadways remain open for first responders.
“Just use your common sense. Unless you have to be out in the middle of it, in any way possible, people should stay home,” MDOT executive director Brad White said. “In dangerous situations, we’re trying to make sure roadways are open to the extent that we can, so that other first responders, law enforcement, ambulance, fire, other power companies, things like that have the ability to navigate our transportation system.”
Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, one that will last through Tuesday and activates the State Emergency Operations Center and increases coordination among agencies. The declaration enables additional resources to be deployed as conditions deteriorate.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency continues to warn that power outages remain a concern, as well as fallen trees and prolonged hazardous conditions. Even after the storm moves through, below-freezing temperatures can keep roads icy for days.
Scott Simmons, MEMA’s chief communications officer, stresses that while “joyriding” may be tempting to try to look at the wintery conditions, it’s a bad idea with how dangerous the roads can be during a severe weather event like Fern.
“I was a journalist for some 30 years, and I was the guy who stood in the storms. The thing that frustrated me the most was the people who were out joyriding because they wanted to look around. Well, oftentimes, those people ended up in a ditch. So, they needed a tow truck to come get them. Well guess what? Everybody’s maxed out in the midst of a storm like this,” he said. “Just be safe.”