USACE Repositions Emergency Power Team to support Mississippi After Storm

VICKSBURG, Miss -The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is repositioning an Emergency Power Planning and Response Team (PRT) to support the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in response to recent emergency conditions caused by the January 2026 Winter Storm.

"Our communities throughout the country are experiencing major hardship from Winter Storm Fern and many Americans are unfortunately without power. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are supporting each state's efforts to get all critical infrastructure back online as fast as possible, and the Corps won't stop working for our communities until the job is complete," said Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

Professional emergency power teams were already on the ground at FEMA staging areas before the storm arrived, reinforcing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' commitment to early and sustained support.

As travel conditions allow, USACE is moving 26 PRT members and 34 Advance Contracting Initiative members to Camp McCain in Grenada, Mississippi, where a Generator Staging Base is being established. The teams will support assessments of critical public facilities in the impacted area to determine potential emergency power needs and install generators on critical public facilities as directed by MEMA.

"We stand ready alongside our federal, state, and local partners to support the American people. We are America's engineers. During emergencies, we are here for you when called upon… before, during and after. The situation remains dynamic, and we are actively maneuvering our teams to where they are needed most, with current emphasis in Mississippi, in full coordination with FEMA, state, and local authorities." said Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly, USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations

Following a natural disaster or emergency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can provide state and local officials with a wide range of emergency power support in coordination with FEMA as part of the federal government's unified national response.

USACE maintains Emergency Power Planning Response Teams across the country capable of deploying to help communities. These teams work closely with the 249^th Engineer Battalion, which provides specialized technical expertise and conducts site assessments to determine generator requirements and necessary electrical connection materials at critical facilities during emergencies.

"Our priority is to assist our state and local partners to keep communities safe," said Col. Jeremiah Gipson, Commander of the USACE Vicksburg District. "By positioning our teams and resources early, we demonstrated our readiness to do just that, and we will continue to coordinate closely with MEMA and others to ensure emergency power resources are ready to support this mission."

The USACE Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation's toughest challenges. The Vicksburg District encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, that holds nine major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees.