Governor Reeves Requests Major Disaster Declaration for Counties Impacted by May 6–7 Severe Storms

JACKSON, Miss. - Governor Tate Reeves today announced that he has requested a Major Disaster Declaration from President Trump for five counties impacted by severe storms, strong tornadoes, straight-line winds, hail, and flash flooding on May 6-7, 2026. During the storms, the state was struck by seven tornadoes, 26 people were injured and 425 homes were damaged.

"Today, I requested a Major Disaster Declaration from President Trump," said Governor Tate Reeves. "The state of Mississippi will continue to do everything in its power to help Mississippians rebuild and recover. My Major Disaster Declaration request is the next step in that process. Our state continues to pray for those recovering from injuries and for the families and communities affected by these storms."

The state is requesting Individual Assistance for the following five counties: Franklin, Lamar, Lawrence, Lincoln, and Wilkinson.

FEMA-validated numbers show that in those five counties, 88 homes were destroyed, 112 homes received major damage, 140 had minor damage, and 85 homes were affected.

The five counties included in the request for Public Assistance are: Franklin, Lamar, Lawrence, Lincoln, and Wilkinson. Joint damage assessments have been conducted by FEMA and MEMA. Damage assessments indicate that the threshold requirements have been met to be eligible for Public Assistance.

As additional damages are discovered and reported, this request may be amended to add additional counties for Individual Assistance or Public Assistance in the future.

Individual Assistance is for residents in declared counties. It can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals recover from the effects of a disaster.

Public Assistance is to support local governments, and certain nonprofits recover from major disasters by providing them with grant assistance for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and the restoration of public infrastructure.

President Trump must approve the request for federal assistance to become available to local and county governments and certain nonprofits. The state of Mississippi continues to work closely with federal and local officials, volunteers, faith-based organizations, and private sector partners to recover from the storm.