Gov. Tate Reeves is seeking additional federal assistance for ongoing recovery efforts as parts of Mississippi continue to feel the impact of Winter Storm Fern.
The Republican governor announced Tuesday afternoon that he has requested a major disaster declaration for multiple Mississippi counties impacted by the storm. The declaration, which is a formal notice to the federal government that the impact of a natural disaster exceeds the state’s response capabilities, includes a request for public assistance to assist local governments, including for debris removal.
Reeves’ office said the request applies to all counties with verified damage as a result of the inclement conditions. More counties could be added as damage reports continue to come in.
“The state of Mississippi has been working closely with FEMA, state agencies, and local governments on this Major Disaster Declaration request,” Reeves said. “Together, we’ve been assessing damage and working to ensure that my request met the required federal thresholds. My request is another step forward as we continue to help Mississippians recover from the historic winter weather storm. The state of Mississippi will continue to use every tool at its disposal to help those in need. We will not stop until the work is complete.”
Fern is now part of history as the worst winter storm to hit Mississippi in more than three decades, killing at least 25 people, and the recovery process is expected to be lengthy. Response efforts remain underway with over 38,000 residents and businesses without power as of Tuesday afternoon. At points, the outage number was around 180,000.
FEMA has sent $3.75 million in “rapid emergency funding” for response efforts, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirming Monday afternoon that the agency will work quickly to approve disaster reimbursements and provide financial aid to residents and businesses once full damage reports are submitted by the state.
In the state legislature, the Mississippi Senate unanimously passed a bill that allocates $20 million to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency for storm relief efforts. The legislation heads to the House of Representatives for consideration, and if passed in the chamber and signed by Reeves, will go into effect immediately.