MS Senators Demand Enhanced Disaster Response Following Storm: ‘We Failed Them’
Last week, North Mississippi senators voiced urgent concerns regarding the state’s disaster response, as thousands of residents remained without power nearly three weeks after a severe winter storm in January.
Sen. Rita Potts Parks, a Republican from Corinth, emphasized the need for improved preparedness for future disasters. Her district, which encompasses Alcorn and Tippah counties, was among the hardest hit by the storm.
“I hope you remember how my people were cold, and we as a state, we failed them,” she stated during a heartfelt address on the Senate floor. “I’m included.”
In her district, hospitals and nursing homes endured over four days without power or water. Parks vividly described the distressing conditions: “Can you imagine what those smells were like, what those cries were like by that second day? Those people were placed with more and more blankets just to keep them warm.”
Parks, along with her colleague Sen. Neil Whaley from Potts Camp, highlighted the slow response times of specific agencies as a critical area for improvement. “Us getting resources from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency took days,” she later told Mississippi Today. “I’m not throwing darts; it’s just a fact that we didn’t see supplies coming to us until Tuesday. That’s water, MREs, cots. This event happened on Saturday and Sunday.”
She noted that around five or six counties experienced over two days without power due to downed Tennessee Valley Authority lines, a situation she described as “historical” and “never supposed to happen.”
During discussions surrounding Senate Bill 2632, which successfully passed in the chamber, Parks and her colleagues advocated for a “disaster recovery emergency loan program.” This initiative aims to assist counties affected by the recent federal disaster declaration.
Sen. Scott DeLano, a Republican from Biloxi and the bill’s sponsor, estimated that damages from Winter Storm Fern could reach $400 million. He described the proposed program as a “revolving loan fund” designed to provide public assistance money to counties and cities while they await reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Parks indicated that FEMA payments could take anywhere from 18 months to two years. DeLano referenced Tennessee’s similar approach following Hurricane Helene in 2024, stating, “We are going to have a lot of discussion over the next year about how we better prepare for these types of events.”
While the bill does not specify a dollar amount, DeLano mentioned plans to request $50 million in appropriations later in the session. Counties would have five years to repay the loans and would need to pledge a revenue source in case FEMA does not reimburse the funding. For projects rejected by FEMA, local entities would have two years to repay the loan.
Sen. Sollie Norwood, a Democrat from Jackson, raised concerns that counties might be left responsible for recovery expenses. DeLano assured that lawmakers could utilize the two-year period to address any potential shortfalls. He added that the state could not offer the funding as a grant to avoid duplicating benefits.
Whaley echoed Parks’ sentiments, noting, “I live in an area where the district lines of the Mississippi Department of Transportation meet, and for some reason that plow truck blade just would not stay on the ground when it got to that district line.” He emphasized the need for clarity and accountability in the response efforts.
As of Thursday afternoon, approximately 1,700 Mississippians remained without power nearly three weeks post-storm, according to poweroutage.us. This figure does not account for all electric utilities in the state. Northern District Public Service Commissioner Chris Brown noted that municipal systems, such as the struggling Holly Springs Utility Department, were not included in this count, with about 500 outages still reported.
Another legislative measure, House Bill 1645, aims to establish state versions of FEMA programs as Mississippi officials prepare for reduced federal disaster support. This bill has passed the House and is now moving to the Senate.
Other Federal Aid Kicks in for Recovering Mississippians
On Wednesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced low-interest loans for certain private nonprofits in Alcorn, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Sharkey, Sunflower, Warren, Washington, Webster, and Yazoo counties, as well as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Eligible organizations include food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools, and colleges.
Then on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced various assistance measures for Mississippians, including a 90-day foreclosure pause for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Click here for a full list of those measures.
This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. Alex Rozier is the author.
Photo: An icy neighborhood in Oxford on Jan. 26. (AP Photo/Bruce Newman)
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Topics
Windstorm
Mississippi
Last week, North Mississippi senators voiced urgent concerns regarding the state’s disaster response, as thousands of residents remained without power nearly three weeks after a severe winter storm in January.
Sen. Rita Potts Parks, a Republican from Corinth, emphasized the need for improved preparedness for future disasters. Her district, which encompasses Alcorn and Tippah counties, was among the hardest hit by the storm.
“I hope you remember how my people were cold, and we as a state, we failed them,” she stated during a heartfelt address on the Senate floor. “I’m included.”
In her district, hospitals and nursing homes endured over four days without power or water. Parks vividly described the distressing conditions: “Can you imagine what those smells were like, what those cries were like by that second day? Those people were placed with more and more blankets just to keep them warm.”
Parks, along with her colleague Sen. Neil Whaley from Potts Camp, highlighted the slow response times of specific agencies as a critical area for improvement. “Us getting resources from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency took days,” she later told Mississippi Today. “I’m not throwing darts; it’s just a fact that we didn’t see supplies coming to us until Tuesday. That’s water, MREs, cots. This event happened on Saturday and Sunday.”
She noted that around five or six counties experienced over two days without power due to downed Tennessee Valley Authority lines, a situation she described as “historical” and “never supposed to happen.”
During discussions surrounding Senate Bill 2632, which successfully passed in the chamber, Parks and her colleagues advocated for a “disaster recovery emergency loan program.” This initiative aims to assist counties affected by the recent federal disaster declaration.
Sen. Scott DeLano, a Republican from Biloxi and the bill’s sponsor, estimated that damages from Winter Storm Fern could reach $400 million. He described the proposed program as a “revolving loan fund” designed to provide public assistance money to counties and cities while they await reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Parks indicated that FEMA payments could take anywhere from 18 months to two years. DeLano referenced Tennessee’s similar approach following Hurricane Helene in 2024, stating, “We are going to have a lot of discussion over the next year about how we better prepare for these types of events.”
While the bill does not specify a dollar amount, DeLano mentioned plans to request $50 million in appropriations later in the session. Counties would have five years to repay the loans and would need to pledge a revenue source in case FEMA does not reimburse the funding. For projects rejected by FEMA, local entities would have two years to repay the loan.
Sen. Sollie Norwood, a Democrat from Jackson, raised concerns that counties might be left responsible for recovery expenses. DeLano assured that lawmakers could utilize the two-year period to address any potential shortfalls. He added that the state could not offer the funding as a grant to avoid duplicating benefits.
Whaley echoed Parks’ sentiments, noting, “I live in an area where the district lines of the Mississippi Department of Transportation meet, and for some reason that plow truck blade just would not stay on the ground when it got to that district line.” He emphasized the need for clarity and accountability in the response efforts.
As of Thursday afternoon, approximately 1,700 Mississippians remained without power nearly three weeks post-storm, according to poweroutage.us. This figure does not account for all electric utilities in the state. Northern District Public Service Commissioner Chris Brown noted that municipal systems, such as the struggling Holly Springs Utility Department, were not included in this count, with about 500 outages still reported.
Another legislative measure, House Bill 1645, aims to establish state versions of FEMA programs as Mississippi officials prepare for reduced federal disaster support. This bill has passed the House and is now moving to the Senate.
Other Federal Aid Kicks in for Recovering Mississippians
On Wednesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced low-interest loans for certain private nonprofits in Alcorn, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Sharkey, Sunflower, Warren, Washington, Webster, and Yazoo counties, as well as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Eligible organizations include food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools, and colleges.
Then on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced various assistance measures for Mississippians, including a 90-day foreclosure pause for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Click here for a full list of those measures.
This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. Alex Rozier is the author.
Photo: An icy neighborhood in Oxford on Jan. 26. (AP Photo/Bruce Newman)
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Topics
Windstorm
Mississippi
