The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy are both busy helping Americans affected by harsh winter storms.
The latest updates from DHS and the Energy Department (DOE) specifically deal with the conditions in Mississippi and Florida. Federal and state officials coordinated the storm response in Mississippi, and DOE is working to keep the lights on with emergency power for Floridians.
DHS Secretary Noem praised the team in Mississippi who worked so hard to help citizens during Winter Storm Fern in a February 2 press release. “Thank you to our first responders, emergency managers, and support personnel for protecting American lives during extreme winter conditions,” Noem said.
She continued, “These men and women led these efforts from the bottom up – and that’s how things get done the right way. DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will continue listening to on-the-ground feedback to ensure federal resources are supporting this state-led response in the most efficient manner. Under the leadership of President Trump, we’re proud to support the state of Mississippi.”
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In the press release, DHS specifically complimented the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi National Guard, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The federal agency added:
DHS began coordinating with Mississippi days before the historic storm’s impacts began. These early, pre-storm efforts helped speed up post-storm recovery by expediting the delivery of vital resources, restoration of critical services, and providing timely support to the hardest hit communities. Following a federal emergency disaster declaration on January 24, 2026, DHS deployed personnel to the state emergency operations center to enhance coordination with partners on the ground.
But DHS is hardly the only agency coordinating needed storm relief. Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued no fewer than seven emergency orders to secure Florida’s grid, according to a Feb. 1 DOE press release.
Wright issued orders to entities, including Duke Energy Florida, LLC, and the Florida Municipal Power Agency, under the Federal Power Act, to ensure needed units are put into action if necessary to meet utilities’ demand amidst the winter storm.
“As extreme, prolonged cold hits Florida, maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the region is non-negotiable,” said Wright. “The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable to blackouts and higher electricity prices. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool to keep the lights on and Florida homes heated through this cold snap.”
It is certainly the silver lining to this storm-cloud that the Trump-Vance administration is in office, because we all remember how utterly horrendous was the Biden-Harris administration’s disaster relief. Indeed, the Democrats’ disaster relief was as destructive as the natural disasters themselves, and of course, the Biden administration was determined to emphasize failure-prone “green” energy, which is always unreliable in bad weather. Thank goodness the Trump administration is more connected to reality.
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