JACKSON, Miss. —  Governor Tate Reeves has issued a State of Emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Ida. At the time of this release, Ida is expected to make landfall Sunday, August 29, 2021, as a major hurricane.

This tropical system could cause damage to homes, businesses, other property and threaten the safety of Mississippians. A state of emergency authorizes the use of state resources for response and recovery activities and allows for the mobilization/deployment of personnel for storm response efforts.

In addition to the State of Emergency, Governor Reeves has also requested a Pre-Disaster Emergency Declaration. Under the requested Pre-Disaster Emergency Declaration, FEMA would be authorized to provide emergency measures, including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program at 75 percent federal funding for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and twenty-four counties: Adams, Amite, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Stone, Walthall, Wayne and Wilkinson Counties.

The purpose of a federal emergency declaration is to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures to save lives, protect property, protect public health and safety, and to lessen the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas.

More counties could be added to this declaration based on the impacts of Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Ida is expected to impact the entire state Sunday into Monday, so the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is urging all citizens to finalize their hurricane preparations today.

It is important that Mississippians organize a disaster supply kit containing:

• 3 Day Supply of Non-Perishable Food and Water
• Flashlight with Extra Batteries
• Medication
• Copies of Important Documents (Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License, etc.)
• Extra Cash
• First Aid Kit

Click here for additional hurricane preparedness tips.

Current shelter openings, evacuation orders and a list of sandbag locations can be found here. This page will be updated frequently throughout this event as MEMA receives new information.

The Governor made the announcement at today’s press conference at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency headquarters, which you can view on our Facebook page here.

You can view the State of Emergency declaration here.