JACKSON, Miss. — In Mississippi, emergency dispatchers are overwhelmed with urgent calls from residents stuck in their homes, desperately needing medication or oxygen. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, state troopers are conducting welfare checks on individuals who have been out of contact for several days. In some rural regions, officials have resorted to using wildfire trucks to transport patients to hospitals, highlighting the severe impact of the crisis.

Power outages continue to plague the southern region, with restoration efforts expected to take several days. As temperatures are forecasted to drop below freezing again by Friday, communities that are neither accustomed to nor prepared for such cold weather conditions are facing critical challenges. The situation is particularly dire for the elderly and those with medical needs, who are now isolated by ice-covered roads and fallen trees.

Nancy Dillon, aged 87, endured three days without electricity on her family farm located on the outskirts of Nashville. She relied solely on her fireplace for warmth. The situation intensified when her phone battery started to die and her backup power source failed, leaving her feeling “alarmed” about her safety.

“If I were to fall, if I were to need somebody, there would be no way to get help,” Dillon expressed, relieved that electricity was finally restored by Tuesday night.

This mounting distress coincides with what Mississippi officials have described as the most severe winter storm the state has faced in over three decades. Approximately 60 warming centers have been established across Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the nation. However, for many communities, these resources fall short of meeting the overwhelming demand.

Hal Ferrell, mayor of Batesville, said Wednesday that no one in the city has power and, with roads still slippery with ice, it’s too soon to begin recovery efforts.

“We’re at a real mess and warming centers just don’t exist for 7,500 people,” Ferrell said.

Roughly 298,000 homes and businesses remained without power Wednesday night, the vast majority of them are in Tennessee and Mississippi.

At least 70 people have died across the U.S. in states afflicted by the dangerous cold.

In Hardin County, Tennessee, at the Mississippi state line, LaRae Sliger, the county’s emergency management director, said while people were prepared to manage a couple of days without power, they can’t go much longer without help.

“They’re cold, they don’t have power, they don’t have heat, they’re out of propane, they’re out of wood, they’re out of kerosene for their kerosene heaters,” she said.

More than 96,000 outages remained in Nashville, Tennessee, where downed trees and snapped power lines blocked access to some areas. Utility workers will need at least the weekend, if not longer, to finish restoring power, said Brent Baker, a Nashville Electric Service vice president.

Forecasters say the subfreezing weather will persist in the eastern U.S. into February, with a new influx of arctic air arriving this weekend. There’s a growing chance for heavy snow in the Carolinas and Virginia.

The National Weather Service said chances of additional, significant snowfall are low in places like Nashville, but weekend temperatures will reach dangerously low single digits with wind chills below zero.

Mississippi dispatched 135 snowplows and National Guard troops equipped with wreckers to sections of Interstates 55 and 22 gridlocked by vehicles abandoned in the state’s ice-stricken northern region.

Cars and semitrucks trying to navigate the frozen highways single-file began getting stuck Tuesday. No injuries were reported, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said.

Erik Lipsett in Benton County, Mississippi, spent the last several days scooping ice from the front yard so he can melt it to flush down his toilets. The area has been without water and power since the weekend.

On Wednesday morning, he lined up at a nearby gas station to shower and said that propane bottles, canisters and hookups for heaters are hard to come by.

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