Mississippians Near Two Weeks Without Power After Winter Storm

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Nearly two weeks after an ice storm knocked out power to her home, Barbara Bishop, 79, and her 85-year-old husband George are still trying to restore electricity and deal with spoiled food in their rural home near Oxford, Mississippi. Across the street, Russ Jones and his wife have also been without power or water for days, relying on a gas stove and fireplace to stay warm. Nearly 20,000 customers remain without power in northern Mississippi, with Lafayette County having the most outages.

Why it matters

The prolonged power outages in northern Mississippi following the winter storm have left many residents struggling to cope with the loss of basic utilities like electricity and water. The situation highlights the vulnerability of the region's infrastructure to extreme weather events and the challenges faced by rural communities in recovering from such disasters.

The details

After the ice storm hit late last month, downed trees and power lines left roads nearly impassable and knocked out power to around 180,000 homes and businesses in Mississippi. While the number of outages has dropped significantly, nearly 20,000 customers are still without power, primarily in Lafayette, Tippah, Panola, Yalobusha and Tishomingo counties. Residents like the Bishops and the Jones' have had to rely on alternative heating sources, limited water access, and help from disaster relief organizations to get by during the prolonged outage.

• The ice storm struck Mississippi in late January 2026.
• Nearly two weeks after the storm, on February 6, 2026, around 20,000 customers remained without power.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The power company, Entergy Mississippi, is working to restore electricity to the remaining customers affected by the ice storm. The nonprofit Eight Days of Hope plans to continue providing assistance to residents in the coming days and weeks.