South Braces for Another Dangerous Cold Blast

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About 500 National Guard troops have been mobilized in Mississippi to clear blocked roads, and nearly 1,000 linemen are working to restore power in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Southern states race to recover from a crippling winter storm before another blast of dangerous cold hits on Friday. The extended deep freeze has left some people increasingly desperate in a region unaccustomed to and ill-equipped for such cold.

Why it matters

The severe winter weather has already claimed at least 80 lives across the eastern U.S., and the continued power outages and dangerous conditions are putting many vulnerable residents at risk, especially in areas like Mississippi that are ill-prepared for such extreme cold.

The details

In Mississippi, over 300,000 homes and businesses remain without power, and emergency dispatchers are receiving calls from people running out of food and medications while stuck at home. In Tennessee, over 90,000 Nashville homes and businesses are still without electricity five days after the storm. Interstates 55 and 22 in northern Mississippi were closed due to gridlocked vehicles on the icy roads, and the governor has mobilized 500 National Guard troops to clear debris. Warming centers have been opened across Mississippi, but some communities say they are not enough to serve the entire population.

• On Wednesday, over 300,000 U.S. homes and businesses had no electricity, with the vast majority in Mississippi and Tennessee.
• On Thursday, Nashville Electric Service said it had 963 linemen working on repairs, and crews would need the weekend or longer to restore all customers.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Forecasters say the subfreezing weather will persist in the eastern U.S. into February, and there is a high chance of heavy snow in the Carolinas, Virginia and northeast Georgia this weekend.