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January 2026 Winter Weather

Governor Tate Reeves’ request for Individual Assistance (FEMA-4899 DR-MS) for counties affected by the January 23-27 severe winter weather has been approved by President Trump. 36 counties and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians have been approved for Individual Assistance.

Individual Assistance is approved for Adams, Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Claiborne, Coahoma, Desoto, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leflore, Marshall, Montgomery, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Warren, Washington, Yalobusha, and Yazoo Counties and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Individual assistance is available to residents in those 36 counties and can include grants for home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of this disaster.

Residents in the approved counties who sustained losses during the January 23-27 winter weather will be able to apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as a video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service, or others, provide FEMA with the number for that service. The disaster number is: DR-4899.

 

Public Assistance has been approved for 82 counties impacted by the January 23-27 severe winter weather. 

Public Assistance has been approved for 38 counties for all categories (A-G) for Public Assistance: Adams, Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Claiborne, Choctaw, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Itawamba, Issaquena, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leflore, Marshall, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Warren, Washington, Webster, Wilkinson, Yalobusha, and Yazoo Counties, including the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Public Assistance Category B is approved for 44 counties:  Amite, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, DeSoto, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Tunica, Walthall, Wayne, and Winston Counties.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses local and state government agencies for the costs of emergency response, debris removal and restoration of disaster-damaged public facilities and infrastructure. Certain nonprofit organizations and houses of worship may also be eligible for assistance. 

For the latest information about federal assistance from the January 23-27 winter storm, visit fema.gov/disaster/4899


MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney provides an update on the severe winter weather that impacted Mississippi. 2/4/2026

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Governor Tate Reeves Press Conference January 30, 2026

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Governor Tate Reeves Press Conference January 29, 2026

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Governor Tate Reeves Press Conference January 28, 2026

Youtube Video

National Guard helps MEMA deliver supplies to north Mississippi

Youtube Video

Governor Tate Reeves Press Conference January 26, 2026

Youtube Video

Governor Tate Reeves Press Conference January 25, 2026

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MEMA Deputy Director Todd DeMuth Provides a Winter Weather Update - 1/23/26

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MEMA Encourages Citizens to Prepare for Winter Weather - 1/22/26

Youtube Video

 

 

BLUF: Partners to highlight – Walmart, Chick-Fil-A, Pinelake Church, xAI, Lowes, Grainger, MS Petroleum Marketers/Propane Association, MS Bankers Association, MS Trucking Association, MS Bankers Association. 

 

Private sector partners fed over 15,000 hot meals to survivors and coordinated with MEMA’s Human Services Branch to ensure any gaps in feeding, specifically of hot meals were addressed in a timely manner. 

Shower, laundry, mobile charging and Wi-Fi stations were set up in Walmart parking lots in Oxford and Ripley by Walmart’s partnership with Matthew 25 Ministry’s Tide Loads of Hope Program. Walmart also partnered with Operation Barbecue to have hot meals served from the Oxford parking lot. 

X-AI, a Space-X company in Southaven, Mississippi donated 418 generators (3500 and 6500 watt) to survivors in Tippah County. 

Pinelake church donated over 100 generators, hygiene goods, blankets, water and shelf-stable food to survivors. They also partnered with Convoy of Hope to use their Madison and Oxford campuses as staging areas to move supplies to the affected area. 

National chains (Walmart, CVS, Lowes, Chick-fil-a) coordinated with the MSBEOC on supply chain impacts, business continuity and store closures in the state of Mississippi. Pre-event, partners had the decision-making information they needed from MEMA to move appropriate products to stores in the forecasted area. 

Associations coordinated with the MSBEOC to assess their member’s business continuity and ensure local businesses had the information they needed to reopen as quickly as possible post event. 

GoFundMe tracked verified fundraisers for people who were affected by Winter Storm Fern as well as for non-profits working in the affected area. 

Waze, a GPS navigation company, added our shelters and warming centers as navigable locations on their platforms. 

The MSBEOC shared state and federal transportation waivers with partners. These waivers allow businesses to move disaster supplies through the state pre and post event, allowing for longer hours of service for drivers and higher weight limits for trucks. 

The MSBEOC shared road closure information with partners, ensuring they had information to move shipments to the affected area and trucks moving through the state could get where they needed to go with less delays. 

Businesses coordinated with the MSBEOC to ensure they had information to prioritize safety of their staff when they were able to reopen. 

10 locations in total opened to receive donations for survivors from the public. These locations were also able to share their needs, unloading capabilities and hours of operation so that they could receive the donations they needed from the public and get them to survivors.