As Mississippi tries to thaw out after Winter Storm Fern’s tear before another cold front hits this weekend, Gov. Tate Reeves provided an update on the current damage count from the state’s largest ice storm in over three decades.
Reeves was joined by other state officials during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. During it, Reeves said confirmed numbers show 10 fatalities and at least 14 injuries, but he predicts “those numbers are going to rise.”
Before the press conference, Reeves had confirmed seven deaths across Alcorn, Hinds, Leflore, Tate, and Tishomingo counties. The three additional deaths were not expounded on by Reeves. However, the Mississippi Insurance Department confirmed “fire-related deaths” in Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties as residents tried to stay warm amid frigid conditions.
Other numbers Reeves shared were: over 100,000 residents and businesses still without power, down from a high of 180,000-plus; 51 counties and 37 municipalities reporting damage, including 208 impacted homes; and 40 counties requesting assistance. He said those numbers are also expected to increase as assessments continue.
Interstate closures
Major traffic jams on Interstate 55 and Interstate 22 that began Tuesday and went into Wednesday have “mostly been cleared up,” per Reeves. But with significant icing on many northern roadways, he urges people to continue staying home if possible.
To prevent a repeat of standstills that saw “hundreds and hundreds” get assistance from state officials, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell announced both lanes of I-55 will be shut down by barricade at the Batesville exit and both lanes of I-22 will be shut down between the Red Bank and State Line exits beginning Wednesday evening.
“This is to make sure so motorists do not get stranded overnight in deadly conditions without [heat] and gas and other supplies,” Tindell said. “If anybody chooses to get out there and around the barricades, I want you to know you’re doing that at your own risk.”
Tindell did not mention when the interstates would reopen.
Before the storm, hundreds of thousands of gallons of brine, sand, and salt were used to pretreat roadways in the northern part of the state, but according to Mississippi Department of Transportation executive director Brad White, more sunlight and higher temperatures will be the state’s “best friend” in returning roadways to normalcy. His agency is looking at unconventional methods to break the ice, including the use of milling machines.
First window closing for assistance
As the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi National Guard, and other coordinating agencies and local emergency operations work to keep warming shelters open, clear debris, and deliver supplies like food and water, the initial window for help is closing as frigid temperatures are forecast to return on Friday.
FEMA, which has delivered 60 industrial generators to impacted areas, has will be providing financial relief to victims, but full assessments must be done first.
“We are responding to every need that we can respond to, and we will continue to do so. We are not yet in recovery mode. We are in response mode and are responding to the individual challenges that are popping up in the counties affected,” Reeves said, noting FEMA relief applications will open after response efforts are fully carried out.
The governor added that Winter Storm Fern is the worst of its kind Mississippi has seen since December 1994. Even though the storm moved out Sunday afternoon, 28 counties were still reporting ice as of Wednesday morning, down from a peak of 37.