Mississippi Receives FEMA Major Disaster Declaration Following Severe Winter Storm
Areazine synthesizes this FEMA disaster declaration directly from FEMA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A federal major disaster declaration has been issued for Mississippi to support recovery efforts in 38 counties and tribal lands following a severe winter storm in January 2026.
What this FEMA disaster declaration tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by FEMA on April 6, 2026 and geographically references Mississippi. Its severity classification of "critical" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Disasters - determines the disaster-declaration framework behind it, which shapes what relief and protective action (evacuation orders, shelters, federal or provincial assistance eligibility) may follow and which agency holds authority over the declaration.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are disaster, fema, Winter Storm, Mississippi.
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).
Original source: FEMA Official Notice ↗
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Common questions about this FEMA disaster declaration.