Mississippi news: $44 million DeSoto road grant, FEMA recovery aid and weekend rain

Evening edition — Tuesday, September 29, 2026

A $44 million federal highway grant will help advance a major DeSoto County expansion, while FEMA announced another $8.3 million for Mississippi disaster recovery Tuesday. Tonight also brings an approaching state human-services website outage, fresh preparations for the Mississippi State Fair and a more detailed weekend rain forecast. The latest developments give residents several immediate decisions: where to handle benefits business during maintenance, when to prepare for rain and how to arrange an additional daily check-in for a loved one.

$44 million grant advances DeSoto County highway expansion

The Mississippi Department of Transportation said Tuesday it secured a $44 million competitive federal INFRA grant for road and traffic improvements in DeSoto County. The money will support expansion of the I-55/I-69 corridor between Church Road and State Route 302, with I-55 growing from four lanes to ten.

The September 29 MDOT release also describes wider and extended ramps at Church Road and SR 302, plus a new loop ramp in the southeast quadrant of the Church Road interchange. Phase I construction is scheduled to begin in 2027. MDOT says design and right-of-way acquisition are complete between Goodman and Church roads, making that portion ready for construction.

The agency reports approximately 70,000 vehicles a day on the Goodman-to-Church segment. It attributes the grant effort to collaboration with Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and DeSoto County officials. The announcement moves financing forward; it does not establish a new traffic closure tonight or a completed expansion.

FEMA announces $8.3 million for recovery projects

A separate FEMA announcement published Tuesday by MEMA identifies $8.3 million in Mississippi recovery funding. It covers 14 projects associated with the January 2026 winter storm and one associated with a 2017 severe storm.

The largest listed award is $3.6 million to Tippah Electric Power Association for a fiber distribution system, clearing operations and repairs to utility poles and transformers. Other listed awards include $766,000 for Grenada city debris removal, $746,000 for Yalobusha County debris removal and $524,000 for Belzoni debris removal.

FEMA also lists $481,000 for Hattiesburg to repair or replace storm-damaged lighting, signs, trash cans and athletic fields, and $407,000 for Grenada County to manage Public Assistance grants. These are community recovery reimbursements under FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which supports debris removal, emergency protective measures and damaged infrastructure. They should not be read as a new household cash-benefit application announcement.

MDHS maintenance starts at 8 p.m.; client portals remain available

The Mississippi Department of Human Services says its main website will go down for scheduled maintenance beginning at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The agency’s notice calls the disruption brief but gives no exact restoration time.

Clients can still submit documents, view notices and update cases through the Common Web Portal. For card transactions, locking or unlocking an EBT card and changing a PIN, MDHS directs clients to ConnectEBT. The Client Service Center number is 800-948-3050, Option 3.

MDHS says the maintenance will not prevent reporting changes, updating case information or contacting a caseworker. Our full maintenance report has the alternate access details. Residents handling benefits business tonight can use those direct portals while checking the agency’s verified accounts for updates.

Wednesday stays warm; weekend rain and coastal hazards sharpen

The forecast has developed beyond this morning’s broad signal for returning rain. The 6:06 p.m. NWS Memphis discussion expects Wednesday and Thursday highs from the upper 80s to the mid-90s across its region. Humidity should gradually improve before showers and storms arrive Friday and continue into early Sunday. Regional rain totals are forecast at 1.5 to 3 inches, with locally higher amounts possible. See the updated north Mississippi outlook.

NWS Jackson continues to forecast a dry, warm Wednesday and roughly 2 to 4 inches over the weekend. Farther south, the New Orleans/Baton Rouge office now describes 3 to 6 inches Friday through Sunday across its forecast area, with localized flash flooding a concern and higher pockets possible. Those regional estimates differ by location and should not be applied uniformly statewide.

The Mobile office’s 6:48 p.m. update, relevant to southeast Mississippi, moves moderate rip-current risk to Wednesday afternoon, followed by high risk Thursday through the weekend at beaches in its area. Check the forecast for your destination before coastal outings or outdoor weekend plans.

DPS prepares multiple divisions for State Fair security

Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell joined Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson at Tuesday’s State Fair preparation press conference. DPS says personnel from several of its divisions will work on the fairgrounds alongside partner agencies throughout the fair.

The official announcement confirms the planned presence but does not give staffing totals or new admission restrictions. Our State Fair security report covers the agency’s stated preparations. Visitors should use the fair’s own current visitor information for entry rules rather than infer them from this staffing announcement.

Lowndes County introduces daily wellness check-ins

The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office has introduced ConfirmOK for residents who would benefit from a daily wellness contact, including seniors and people living alone. According to the sheriff’s announcement, the service contacts participants at a scheduled time by phone or text; a phone participant presses 1 to confirm they are OK.

If a participant misses the designated attempts, an alert can go to a family member, caregiver or other designated contact, depending on the setup. No pendant or medical device is required. County residents can look for the registration link in the sheriff’s office app.

The practical step for families is establishing the daily contact and the person who receives a missed-check-in alert. The announcement describes that contact arrangement without promising an automatic medical response. Read the complete sign-up overview.

UMMC shares context on POTS, MCAS and long COVID research

UMMC on Tuesday highlighted an existing explanation of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome. The underlying CONSULT article was published July 1; Tuesday’s promotion is not a newly announced trial result.

Drs. Gailen Marshall and Douglas A. Wolfe describe distinct disorders that can produce overlapping symptoms and require careful evaluation. POTS concerns abnormal heart-rate changes after standing, while MCAS involves excessive mast-cell activity and allergic-type reactions. They emphasize that symptoms can have other causes and that association does not establish causation.

The medical center says researchers are investigating possible connections with long COVID. Its report supports discussing persistent symptoms with a clinician and understanding diagnostic uncertainty, rather than treating social-media accounts as a diagnosis. Our coverage links to the experts’ discussion.

Tupelo storm-spotter class scheduled for October 6

NWS Memphis will hold an in-person SKYWARN course at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Lee County Board of Supervisors Building in Tupelo, according to its Tuesday announcement.

SKYWARN trains volunteers to recognize and report hazardous weather, giving forecasters observations that complement radar and other instruments. The office’s course page explains the program and lists training information. Residents interested in learning how useful storm reports reach forecasters can check that page for the current schedule before attending.

Featured graphic: NWS Memphis rain forecast updated September 29 at 2:19 p.m., showing rain chances rising Friday and through the weekend. Credit: National Weather Service Memphis.

Compiled with AI assistance from Mississippi News Group coverage and linked official sources. See our editorial standards.