Mississippi Receives FEMA Major Disaster Declaration Following Severe Winter Storm

What Happened

On February 6, 2026, a federal major disaster declaration (DR-4899-MS) was issued for the state of Mississippi. This declaration is a response to a severe winter storm that impacted the region between January 23 and January 27, 2026. As a Major Disaster (DR) declaration, this represents a significant federal commitment to assist the state in its recovery efforts.

Affected Areas

The declaration designates 39 specific areas for assistance, including the Mississippi Choctaw Indian Reservation and the following 38 counties:

• Adams, Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Claiborne, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leflore, Marshall, Montgomery, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union, Warren, Washington, Webster, Yalobusha, and Yazoo.

Federal Assistance Available

FEMA has activated the Public Assistance (PA) program for the designated areas. This program provides federal funding for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.

According to the declaration data, Individual Assistance (IA), which provides grants for homeowners and renters, and Hazard Mitigation (HM) programs have not been activated for this specific incident.

What You Should Do

Local government officials and representatives of eligible private non-profit organizations in the affected counties should contact their local or state emergency management agency to begin the application process for Public Assistance. Residents are encouraged to monitor official communications from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for further updates regarding local recovery resources.

Source

Information provided by FEMA (DR-4899-MS).