A fourth death has been reported in Mississippi due to the impact of Winter Storm Fern. Gov. Tate Reeves took to social media Tuesday morning to confirm that weather-related deaths occurred in Alcorn and Leflore counties.
According to Alcorn County officials, the deceased has been identified as Nina Dorna. The victim passed away during a house fire on County Road 251 in the Glen community. Dorna reportedly started a fire in a wood stove to keep warm, but the blaze spread throughout the residence. Details currently remain slim regarding the Leflore County death.
Other deaths have been reported in Hinds and Tishomingo counties, while injuries have been confirmed in Hinds and Smith counties, per the governor. As far as damages go, 21 residences have received major damage, 27 homes have received minor damage, one business received major damage, and 20 public roads received major damage.
In the meantime, more than 143,000 Mississippians still lack power, with outages being most prevalent in the northern region of the state, which is still experiencing icy conditions as a result of below-freezing temperatures. Work has been done to get the lights back on in affected homes and businesses, and Reeves is optimistic that utility companies can make more progress in the near future.
“While utility companies are starting to make some progress, there is still a lot of work to be done,” the governor wrote. “With temperatures expected to be above freezing for a few hours today and the sunshine, we’re hoping some of the ice will melt and that utility crews can make more progress. Utility companies and crews are working as hard as possible to restore power as quickly as possible.”
The governor is also hopeful that expected sunshine and elevated temperatures can make roadways safer to navigate, so that crews can begin a heavy debris-removal job. The Mississippi National Guard has been mobilized, in large part, to help clear the roads in highly impacted areas of the state and set up a fuel distribution network.
“We are in a similar situation with roads. Because of the ice and freezing temperatures, plowing roads has been difficult. In many areas around the state, plowing would lead to compacting ice and snow, not clearing,” Reeves added. “We are hoping that the above freezing temperatures and sunshine will allow ice to melt and for plowing to be more effective.”
The state is continuing to work with local emergency managers to gather and deploy resources as necessary, according to Reeves. Mississippi has also requested an additional 30 generators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, bringing the total number of generators requested to 90. The governor said generators are being deployed to healthcare facilities, nursing homes, warming centers, and rural water systems.
There are currently 67 warning shelters open in 35 Mississippi counties. A list of where they are can be found here.
