• Federal disaster assistance has been approved for Mississippi following severe storms and tornadoes in March 2025.
• Funding will be available to individuals and businesses in several counties for housing repairs, temporary housing, and other recovery needs.
• Residents are encouraged to file insurance claims and then register for assistance online, by phone, or through the FEMA app.
• Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant was recently appointed to a FEMA review panel, while President Trump has considered eliminating the agency.

Disaster assistance is available to Mississippi after FEMA announced May 23 that it had approved a disaster declaration made by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves in the wake of severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding from March 14-15, 2025.

At least seven died in tornadoes that hit Covington, Jeff Davis and Walthall counties. In that same stretch, an earthquake was also recorded near Magee. 

The White House announced in a release: “The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Covington, Grenada, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Leflore, Marion, Montgomery, Pike, Smith and Walthall counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”

E. Craig Levy, Sr. has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in those areas.

New emergency response system in Jackson City of Jackson could receive $2M for emergency response system replacement

“Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding in Calhoun, Carroll, Covington, Grenada, Humphreys, Issaquena, Itawamba, Jefferson Davis, Lee, Leflore, Marion, Pike, Prentiss, Sharkey, Smith, Walthall and Washington counties.”

President Donald Trump has discussed the possibility of eliminating FEMA and pushing that work down to the states.

The president said he would reconsider “the whole concept of FEMA” and states with regular natural disasters like Florida hurricanes and Oklahoma tornadoes are efficiently handling the process.

In late April, the president added former Mississippi governor Phil Bryant to a FEMA review panel.

FEMA encouraged individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas to first first file claims with their insurance providers and then apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA app.

Staff Writer Bonnie Bolden contributed to this report.