In brief
Emergency crews in Mississippi faced challenging conditions this week as they worked to clear ice-covered highways and assist stranded vehicles during a historic cold spell affecting the eastern U.S. Many drivers were forced to abandon their cars due to freezing temperatures and accumulating ice. As a result, the Mississippi National Guard was deployed to aid in the rescue operations. Reports also indicated that severe weather has caused widespread power outages and at least 50 fatalities across affected regions.
Emergency crews dispatched to ice-covered highways in Mississippi worked overnight and into Wednesday morning to clear stranded vehicles as the eastern U.S. endured what forecasters said could become its longest period of freezing cold in decades.
Traffic was snarled on Interstate 55 and other major highways in northern Mississippi, with Governor Tate Reeves urging the public to stay off the roads. The Mississippi National Guard sent soldiers equipped with wreckers to help.
Sheets of ice covered stretches of various highways, leaving many vehicles abandoned and gas tanks empty. Local authorities issued calls for help to residents with all-terrain vehicles, requesting food, blankets, and gas for stranded motorists.
As freezing weather still grips much of the eastern U.S. post-storm, reports indicate that nearly 380,000 homes and businesses were without power primarily in Mississippi and Tennessee, and up to 50 fatalities were reported in regions affected by the extreme weather.
In Nashville, where nearly 100,000 residents still lacked electricity, hospitals reported an uptick in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning due to residents using unsafe sources of heat. Weather forecasts alarmingly suggest more frigid conditions and potential heavy snow this weekend from the Carolinas to Maine.
The prolonged freeze is being described as potentially the longest in several decades, prompting concern as temperatures across the Midwest and the Northeast remain well below freezing.
