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Another major story we're following is that winter storm. Crews are still working to restore power to thousands of homes in the path of a winter storm that has downed trees and power lines. At least 30 people have died across the more than 30 states affected by the storm. Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee have been the hardest hit with outages. Elise Gregg with Mississippi Public Broadcasting and the Gulf States Newsroom reports freezing temperatures are now worrying officials and residents.
ELISE GREGG, BYLINE: On a power outage map, you can see a trail from northern Louisiana through the Mississippi Delta into Tennessee and Kentucky. Sean Smith (ph) moved to Nashville from Michigan just two weeks ago and says without power, his house has dropped to near-freezing temperatures.
SEAN SMITH: Probably about 40, 20, maybe. I don't know. I had to get out of there and get in my car and get some heat.
GREGG: He's looking at getting a hotel room if things don't improve soon. In the South, many people depend on electricity for heat. KC Grist, executive director of north Mississippi Red Cross, says the agency was able to pre-position some supplies to help with the storm, but now there are many places workers are unable to reach with more resources.
KC GRIST: To the west, in Oxford, is completely shut down. Roads are terrible. Power outages everywhere. Kind of the same in our northern counties.
GREGG: Oxford is one of the cities most affected by power outages. Its university, Ole Miss, is closed through Sunday. Jeffrey Reed (ph) lives in Oxford. He says his neighborhood looks like a war zone. He lost power early Monday morning.
JEFFREY REED: Everything happened in the course of a few hours, and then it just added on for about another three-quarters of a day. A giant limb came down and tore the meter pole off the side of the house and the meter.
GREGG: Several states have deployed National Guard troops to help with recovery. Mississippi's governor says FEMA is distributing 30 generators and fuel, and the state is handing out water, food and blankets, and warming centers are open across the region. Temperatures well below freezing for a couple more days have officials worried. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced at least three deaths in his state.
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JEFF LANDRY: I would like to have no more house fires or fire-related events and certainly no more deaths due to carbon monoxide or hypothermia.
GREGG: Utility companies say they're making progress in restoring power, but it will take at least several days, if not longer, to return to normal operations.
For NPR News, I'm Elise Gregg in Jackson, Mississippi.
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