Feeling Fern

Even in the darkest days, north Mississippi friends and neighbors stepped up to bring life back after January’s historic ice storm.

Written by Emily Welly | Photos by Joshua Mccoy, City Of Oxford & Joe Worthem

The Destruction

In the days following Jan. 25, everyone in north Mississippi faced a harsh reality left by Winter Storm Fern. Here are some facts to put the disaster in perspective:

• 29 deaths in the state

• More than 180,000 power outages in the state

• In Oxford, 28,000 without power (95% of the North East Mississippi Electric Power Association system). Meanwhile, in Corinth, 100% of the Alcorn County Electric Power Association and 19,100 customers were without power.

• Thanks to hundreds of hours of work by linemen, North East Mississippi Electric completed power restoration in 3 weeks. They replaced 1,000 poles and rebuilt many lines completely, and cleanup of downed poles and transponders continues.

• 500,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of debris in the City of Oxford alone. Sadly, nine massive, historic trees were removed from North and South Lamar after they were deemed too damaged to save.

• 100,000 cubic yards of debris left on the University of Mississippi campus. However, despite the extensive damage, Landscape Services believes 95% of the trees on campus survived, including two State Champion trees (the largest known of their types in the state): the Northern Catalpa tree near the Student Union and the Osage Orange tree near the University Museum.

State and Federal Assistance

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), distributed the following to 41 counties in the state:

• 1.6 million bottles of water

• 395,198 meals

• 16,304 blankets

• 3,424 cots

• 6,440 tarps

• 17 shower trailers

• 6 laundry trailers

By mid-February, 34 counties in Mississippi were approved for federal public assistance to continue rebuilding efforts.

Welcome Helpers

In addition to local and state officials, law enforcement and fire departments, many organizations from outside north Mississippi came to help in the days following the storm. Some of those included:

Eight Days of Hope responded to Oxford in the weeks following the storm, bringing in hundreds of volunteers from states including Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York and even Alaska to remove ice, distribute generators and clear debris from fallen and damaged trees.

Volunteers from Mercy Chefs worked tirelessly to serve more than 40,000 meals in just the week following the storm in Hickory Flat, Ashland, Dumas, Walnut and Potts Camp.

The United Cajun Navy mobilized to north Mississippi, distributing thousands of donated meals and bottles of propane and coordinating chainsaw crews to clear roads and debris.

Operation BBQ Relief from Kansas City spent 10 days in the area serving 24,250 hot meals to people in need in Oxford and Ripley.

Hundreds of volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse worked to tarp damaged roofs and move tree debris. The organization took almost 1,500 work orders, and its volunteers worked almost 8,000 hours.

Matthew 25: Ministries served people in Oxford, Ripley, New Albany and Hickory Flat providing: 2,500 loads of laundry; 230 showers; 475 P&G Personal Care Kits; 14,000 rolls of paper products; 80 cases of diapers; 220 cases of Tide pods; 350 Cintas First Aid and Safety Kits; 9,600 Duracell batteries; and 1,700 Duracell power banks.

Rebuilding Together

In the aftermath of the storm, neighbors began helping neighbors. Some of those efforts morphed into organizations that continue to meet needs.

Spearheaded by Oxford Community Market, Second Responders started with an informational Zoom meeting on Jan. 29 to brainstorm action items for community care and recovery. The group very quickly opened more than 15 sites around northeast Mississippi for residents to donate and pick up household supplies, food, water and more. Other local organizations including More than a Meal and Oxford Love Packs were integral in this effort.

The Oxford-Lafayette Community Assistance Fund started in mid-February as a collaborative community response among local churches and organizations dedicated to working together to help neighbors swiftly recover and rebuild. First focused on electrical repairs, plumbing issues and large tree removal, the group takes requests for assistance from residents of the City of Oxford and Lafayette County and then comes together to spring into action.

The CREATE Foundation established the Northeast Mississippi Ice Storm Recovery Fund to support communities across the region impacted by the storm. According to CREATE, the fund will provide both immediate and long-term recovery support with 100% of all donations going directly to grants and no fees charged.

The United Way of Northeast Mississippi awarded supplemental grants to the Salvation Army of Tupelo and the American Red Cross of Mississippi to help those organizations respond to needs.

Replanting Oxford’s Trees

The tree canopy in north Mississippi was forever changed by Fern. Looking ahead, the City of Oxford plans to create a replanting plan and hopefully move on it in the fall. Donations to the tree fund will be directed toward replanting new trees. To donate to the fund, visit oxfordms.net/donations-to-tree-fund.