(The Center Square) – Three southern states slammed by a winter storm in late January will receive expedited federal funding to help with recovery efforts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it has approved just over $11 million to support Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana. The money can reimburse the states for measures already taken and sustain response operations, a news release said.
FEMA approved $3.75 million for Mississippi and another $3.75 million for Tennessee. Louisiana was approved for $3.79 million.
“Public assistance is traditionally provided on a reimbursement basis after costs are incurred and documented,” FEMA said in a Friday news release. “This time, because the storm was so serious, FEMA is sending the money upfront so Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana can act quickly.”
The states can use the money to deploy generators and temporary power for critical facilities, to pay for emergency debris clearance and operate emergency shelters, to assist law enforcement and public safety operations, to operate emergency operations centers and cover emergency logistics, and to provide temporary heating and medical support, the agency said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, over 8,000 Tennessee households were still without power as a result of the ice and snow that began on Jan. 24. Most of the outages are in Davidson County, according to Nashville Electric Service’s outage map.
In a statement on Friday, Gov. Bill Lee called the recovery “extremely challenging.”
Residents “need a clear timeline for power restoration, transparency on the number of linemen deployed, and a better understanding of when work will be completed in their neighborhood,” he said. “I have shared my strong concerns with (Nashville Electric Service) leadership, as well as my expectation that both communication with their customers and power restoration efforts must improve.”
In north Mississippi, heavy ice that accumulated on trees and power lines led Gov. Tate Reeves to request a major disaster declaration for multiple counties.
There were still 27,500 power outages in the state as of Wednesday, and more than 400 homes had been reported as damaged or destroyed.
Thousands remained without power in north Louisiana more than a week after the storm, although Entergy said the majority of its customers were back online.
The company said there was widespread damage to the grid, including nearly 1,000 utility poles and hundreds of transformers that needed repair or replacement.
Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday announced support for families and small businesses, including federal disaster loans and food stamp assistance.
