Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 198th Armored Regiment, stage vehicles and equipment at Camp McCain Training Center in Grenada, Mississippi, Jan. 27, 2026, in preparation for deployment to areas impacted by severe winter weather. The Mississippi National Guard is supporting emergency response operations in coordination with state and local partners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1 Class Shane Hamann)
The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) activated 500 service members across the state to conduct general support, fueling operations, and aerial logistics packaging of food and other needed supplies following a major winter storm Jan. 23-26, 2026.
The storm, named Winter Storm Fern by The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service, impacted parts of Mississippi bringing freezing rain, sleet, snow and dangerous temperatures through the weekend. Mississippi currently has the second most power outages in the U.S. with more than 150,000 customers affected. Significant travel and infrastructure disruptions exist and could continue into next week. Lafayette, Tishomingo, Tippah, and Alcorn counties in North Mississippi are the most heavily impacted in the state.
Mississippi Guardsmen, in a State Active Duty status, are conducting mobilization and resource deployment operations alongside county officials across North Mississippi. Service members of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 184th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, 172nd Airlift Wing, 186th Air Refueling Wing, and other support personnel from Joint Force Headquarters (JFH) will assist the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency with medical, fueling, and debris removal operations. The task force is primarily operating out of Camp McCain in Grenada, MS. MSNG-JFH State Army Aviation Office is providing aviation assets to help move food and water supplies throughout North Mississippi.
As of noon, Jan. 26, 2026, more than 30 Mississippi counties have received nearly 140 requests for assistance including requests for generators, medical supplies, cots, blankets, and food and water, as power restoration to rural parts of the state may take multiple days or more. The Mississippi National Guard continues to stand Shoulder to Shoulder with local, state and federal agencies and will continue assisting with winter storm response until our services are no longer needed.
Pallets of Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs), bottled water, and cots are staged at Hawkins Field in Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 27, 2026, for airlift operations aboard CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The supplies will be transported to Corinth, Mississippi, in support of ongoing emergency response efforts to assist impacted communities. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Kandi Murphy)
In coordination with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), generators are staged at Camp McCain Training Center in Grenada, Mississippi, ready for distribution to storm-impacted areas in support of ongoing emergency response operations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1 Class Shane Hamann)
Soldiers from the 185th Aviation Brigade load pallets of water, cots, and Meals, Ready-toEat (MREs) aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in preparation for departure to Corinth, Mississippi, supporting ongoing emergency response operations, Jan. 27, 2026. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Kandi Murphy)