A week and a half after Winter Storm Fern devastated regions of Mississippi, its impact is still being felt with a growing death toll, widespread power outages, and limited access to some roadways. The devastation sustained and the ongoing response by local leaders prompted a visit by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday afternoon.
Noem, the former Republican South Dakota governor who now heads the department that oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, met with Gov. Tate Reeves, leaders of multiple state agencies, and local emergency response officials in Tupelo. The hour-long meeting was used to discuss how Mississippi responded to Winter Storm Fern, what FEMA is doing to help meet immediate needs, and how the federal government can learn from this disaster to prep for future ones.
Noem said she was pleased with the state’s interagency communication, from the governor’s office to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and down to the county level. She also noted how quickly and diligently the Mississippi National Guard answered the call to meet immediate needs, and how the state leaned on some of its peers to acquire resources.
“Mississippi does a lot of things right, and a lot of the processes and how the communication happens here, we can use to educate other states on how that response should be done,” Noem said during an exclusive interview on Mornings With Richard Cross. “Your National Guard has been absolute rock stars — the capacity they have to respond to people and the resources. The agreements Mississippi has with its surrounding states are incredibly important.”
FEMA played a role in how Mississippi agencies communicated with one another during and after Winter Storm Fern. After Hurricane Katrina demolished the Gulf Coast, the federal agency provided significant funding for the repair, replacement, and construction of new radio towers and communication systems, which later became the Mississippi Wireless Information Network. The network has since helped during ongoing storm response efforts.
Where FEMA helped in the post-Katrina response, there have been complaints from Mississippians. In Biloxi, specifically, officials maintain that the agency owes the city $34 million for sewer system repairs directly linked to the hurricane. With previous disasters in mind, Noem said her mission is to take note of how FEMA has both benefited and hampered states and to explore ways to maximize efficiency.
“We can learn something from every disaster. Every disaster is unique,” Noem said. “When you look at their response years ago back to Katrina and you look back at different situations across the country where there have been failures, there have been things that could have been done better. You try to learn from them and deploy resources quicker, warn people ahead of time, preposition supplies, and do what you can to get states to support each other, because if they’re neighbors, they can respond a lot quicker.”
A weather event like Fern striking Mississippi is incredibly rare, and recovery has proven to be challenging with ice, debris, and downed power lines making travel difficult and virtually impossible in certain areas. These conditions, in many cases, have prevented responders from delivering goods to people in need and transporting individuals to hospitals, though progress has been made in Mississippi to meet the immediate needs of residents.
The challenges, though unique, require immediate action and not red tape, Noem said. Under the direction of President Donald Trump, FEMA leadership has been tasked with scaling down the agency to where more of the disaster relief burden is left to the discretion of individual states, while the federal government plays more of a financial assistance role.
On Jan. 30, FEMA directed $3.75 million in “rapid emergency funding” to Mississippi for generators, debris removal, and other urgent needs related to the ice storm. The funding, though it comes from the federal level, was sent in a manner in which Mississippi had discretion in where the dollars would be spent.
In the days before the rapid funding was released, FEMA announced $6.5 million for debris removal in Walthall County following severe storms and tornadoes nearly a year earlier – money that could have been used immediately after the disaster, some residents contended. Noem cited this as an example of why FEMA must get funds to states faster, with her team working to pre-approve disaster declaration so states can mobilize resources knowing costs will be reimbursed quickly, rather than waiting through a lengthy paperwork process before aid arrives.
“I think this FEMA has responded incredibly. We’re deploying dollars and resources over 200% faster than FEMA ever has before. That just means that when a state is overwhelmed, and they need the help, they can get it in time to save lives,” Noem said.
Noem argued that local leaders are more equipped to handle recovery efforts than the federal government, especially given that state, county, and city officials are more knowledgeable of impacted regions while having direct relationships with the survivors. This has incentivized the current leadership at FEMA to be more proactive in giving states what they request to meet immediate needs with minimal questions asked while addressing other formalities once the emergent priorities are accounted for.
“Governors know how to manage disasters. Their local county folks do this all the time, and it’s their neighbors down the street that need the help, and they’re going to be passionate about getting them to safety or getting them what they need as soon as possible,” Noem said. “So, why would we in Washington, D.C., think we know better and that we need a paper signed before that help can be deployed? We empower people to make decisions to take care of people first, and then we’ll make sure that we get the paperwork done and the claims filed, and get it finalized soon so that the state can resolve it and move on and continue to keep its community safe.”