JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Desperate for help, Mississippians are making calls to dispatchers seeking medication and oxygen as a historic winter storm causes widespread power outages. In Tennessee, highway troopers are performing welfare checks on residents who haven't been heard from in days. In some rural areas, emergency services have resorted to using wildfire trucks to transport patients to hospitals.
Power restoration efforts may take days amidst predictions of even lower temperatures, leaving the elderly and those with medical conditions at severe risk. Many are isolated due to roads blocked by ice and fallen trees.
Nancy Dillon, 87, who lives on a family farm in Nashville's outskirts, managed to survive three frigid days without power, relying on a fireplace. If I were to fall, if I were to need somebody, there would be no way to get help, she remarked, expressing her relief when power was finally restored.
The destruction and escalating struggle are a result of what officials deem Mississippi's worst winter storm in over three decades. While about 60 warming centers have been established statewide, many communities lack adequate support.
Hal Ferrell, the mayor of Batesville, reported that the city has no power and icy roads hinder recovery efforts. With over 298,000 homes and businesses in Tennessee and Mississippi still without power, officials fear for their communities. At least 70 lives have been lost nationwide due to the merciless cold.
Emergency management director LaRae Sliger noted, They’re cold, they don’t have power, they don’t have heat... as she explained the desperation felt in Hardin County, Tennessee. The state is facing major challenges with accessibility as utility workers estimate a lengthy restoration process.
Weather forecasts suggest that freezing temperatures will remain well into February, with the potential for heavy snowfall across parts of the Southeast. Mississippi has dispatched snowplows and National Guard troops to aid in clearing the gridlocked roads.
The community urges swift action, but the looming winter continues to exacerbate the hardship faced by thousands. Residents like Erik Lipsett in Benton County have resorted to melting ice for basic sanitation needs, highlighting the human toll of the ongoing crisis.
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