Winter storm deaths and injuries rise amid ongoing response efforts

At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Governor Tate Reeves confirmed 10 deaths so far, as well as at least 14 injuries.

"The latest of those 10 that I have from earlier today were three fatalities in Tate County, Mississippi and it was a house fire," he said. 

Reeves said they've also had 51 counties and 37 municipalities submit damage reports.

Right now, road conditions are bad enough that highway patrol is temporarily closing parts of I-55 north from Batesville to Senatobia, as well as all of I-22 from Red Banks to the Tennessee state line.

Mississippi Department of Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said that Tuesday night, highway patrol troopers were out until 4:00 a.m. helping stranded drivers on those roads, which is partially why they're shutting down roads now.

"That again is so that we can make sure that motorists do not get stranded overnight in deadly conditions without air conditioning or gas or other supplies," he said. 

The closures are also expected to help with getting ice cleared off of the interstates. 

Short-term, another bout of cold weather this weekend may make further clean up difficult, even after the break with warmer weather the past few days. 

"We're hoping to build on that and the anticipation of not having cooperative weather over the weekend," said MDOT executive director Brad White. "But that is also why from the beginning that we've beseeched the public that if you don't need to be on the road please don't get on the road because of some of the issues that we had."

"We're unable to do some of at night when the freezing temperatures return."

There are 68 warming shelters open in 35 counties right now.