The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has received reports of more than 15,000 homes and businesses affected by the winter weather event that began to impact the state around Feb. 14.

Statewide, there have been dangerous freezing temperatures, ice on roads and bridges and multiple power outages affecting a majority of Mississippians.

Friday, Neshoba County Emergency Management Agency reported to MEMA that one fatality occurred, earlier this week, due to a motor vehicle accident. MEMA officials continue to ask residents not to drive on roadways until the ice has completely thawed and our temperatures reach above freezing, which should be this weekend.

The following official damage reports have been submitted to MEMA by the following counties:

• Copiah County – 2 businesses affected
• Grenada County – 10 homes affected; 1 business affected
• Marshall County – 1 home affected; 5 businesses affected
• Smith County – 1 business affected
• Warren County – 2 homes affected
• Washington County – 15,000 homes affected because of water supply issues

*These are preliminary numbers and could change throughout the assessment process

Because temperatures will reach dangerous cold levels again Friday night, MEMA is asking residents that have experienced prolonged power outages this week to seek shelter at a county or city-run warming center in your area. The full list of those shelters and safe rooms is here.

As road conditions continue to improve, MEMA will continue fulfilling supply requests from the counties.

These are the current resource requests MEMA has delivered or in progress:

• Water – 60,480 bottles of water
• Disaster Reservist Personnel – 14
• Generators to power public facilities – 2

If residents have an emergency, we urge you to call 911. If there are immediate unmet needs, MEMA encourages you to contact your county emergency management agency. A list of those county contacts can be found here. Resources must be requested through the county EMA to be submitted to MEMA for resource coordination.