After historic winter storms, counties assess response

In the wake of last month’s colossal ice storm — which caused hundreds of thousands of power outages and dozens of deaths nationwide — counties across the country are reassessing their preparedness for major winter weather events.

The combination of snow, sleet and ice that blanketed the southern and eastern United States left many local governments struggling to manage the aftermath, as they were ill-equipped for a storm of that magnitude.

President Trump approved 12 federal emergency disaster declarations for Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

“Public assistance is traditionally provided on a reimbursement basis after costs are incurred and documented,” FEMA stated in a Jan. 30 news release. “This time, because the storm was so serious, FEMA is sending the money upfront so Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana can act quickly.”

Lafayette County, Miss. — ‘Like a tornado hit the entire county’

The winter storm marked the most challenging response Beau Moore, public information officer for Lafayette County Emergency Management, has seen in the county and the broader region. He compared the widespread damage to homes, trees and power lines to the impact of a tornado striking the entire county at once.

Roughly 95% of Lafayette County lost power during the ice storm.

“Mother Nature threw quite the event at all of us,” Moore said.

More than two weeks after the storm first hit, Lafayette County schools reopened on Feb. 9, but 2,299 power outages still remained. Restoring power in the remaining locations will be “very challenging,” Moore said, because most are in outlying areas where service relies on utility poles — many of which were damaged or destroyed and must be replaced.

“We think that winter events don’t happen really often,” Moore said. “But if we look back over the last five years, we have had snow events that have shut down parts of North Mississippi for a week at a time, so I think we have to be real about what our weather forecasts are showing now.”

Mississippi’s last major winter storm — the 1994 blizzard — occurred more than three decades ago. Moore said that with climate change, he expects severe winter storms to become more common, underscoring the need for more local resources.

In 2023, Lafayette County was awarded a federal grant to build an emergency operations center and distribution facility, with the county agreeing to fund the remaining 25% of the cost to build. The federal funding was delayed until 2024, and by then, due to the rising cost of building supplies, the county could no longer afford the remaining building costs and has been unable to secure additional funding, despite already clearing the land to build. During the storm, delays in distributing supplies could have been alleviated with a centralized distribution point, Moore said. 

“This [would be] not just something for Lafayette County, but all our friends and neighbors throughout the region,” he said. “All of us were delayed on getting supplies because of the conditions in North Mississippi.

“And I think unfortunately, we’re going to be in this position again.”

Montgomery County, Md. — Costly limits to preparedness

Montgomery County, Md., and other jurisdictions in the Washington metropolitan area, faced criticism from residents over slow snow and ice cleanup efforts.

At a Feb. 3 public briefing, Montgomery County Council member Laurie-Ann Sayles said she felt the county was underprepared. Council member Sidney Katz echoed those concerns, saying, “We need to try our best not to have this misery again.”

During a Feb. 4 briefing, Montgomery County Director of Transportation Chris Conklin estimated that the ice that fell weighed roughly 3 million tons — equivalent to 30 aircraft carriers.

Despite the criticism, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the county cannot absorb the millions of dollars it would take to significantly upgrade winter operations, such as hiring more staff and purchasing larger plows and dump trucks. He described the storm as “a once-in-a-century challenge.”

The county plans to release an in-depth analysis after cleanup concludes to identify potential areas for improvement.

DeSoto Parish, La. — Communication and water challenges

DeSoto Parish, La., is also conducting a post-storm assessment to identify gaps or unmet needs, according to public information officer Mark Pierce.

“That type of winter weather is not something that’s extremely common,” Pierce said. “But it’s definitely something you want to sit down afterwards and ask, ‘OK, how can we do better?’”

The parish’s biggest challenge during the storm was water outages. Pierce said all hands were on deck, including office staff.

“We had deputies knocking on doors, checking on people,” he said.

Throughout the storm, DeSoto Parish relied heavily on social media to communicate with residents. Its Facebook page — which has more followers than the parish has residents — shared frequent updates about resources like warming centers and livestreamed helicopter footage showing road conditions.

“We got tons of positive feedback from that,” Pierce said, noting that the videos helped residents decide whether it was safe to travel for work, medical appointments or family needs.

With fewer than 27,000 residents but more than 40,000 Facebook followers and 25,000 active users on the DeSoto Sheriff App, the parish has been able to streamline communication. Pierce said officials want to better educate seniors on using digital tools to access timely information during extreme weather.

Rabun County, Ga. — Preparing for the unpredictable

In Rabun County, Ga., Vice-Chairman Scott Crane said no amount of planning could have fully prepared the county for an ice storm.

“We can plan for snow,” Crane said. “But once it rains ice, the only thing you can do is prepare your citizens for the worst and hope for the best.”

As a major outdoor recreation destination in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Rabun County urged visitors and second-home owners to leave ahead of the storm, warning that first responders could not handle the added strain.

Compounding the challenges, the county was hit by a 10- to 12-inch snowstorm just one week later.

Small communities, strong responses

Both DeSoto Parish and Rabun County are rural, with fewer than 50,000 residents combined. Leaders said their tight-knit communities proved to be one of their greatest strengths.

“Citizens were out with our deputies, cutting trees out of roadways,” Pierce said. “People were pulling deputies out of ditches. The community really stepped up.”

In Rabun County, Senior Center and Transit Director Wanda Henry cooked meals for first responders and powerline workers — something she has done during past disasters. Crane praised Henry and other volunteers during a Jan. 27 County Commissioners meeting.

“They’ve put their lives on the line trying to help us and get people their power back,” Henry said. “The least you can do is give them a warm meal.”