In 1994, an Artic front moved in the Mid-South as moist air from the Gulf was passing through.
Freezing rain poured for hours, creating layers of ice on the roadways. The weight of the ice was no match tree limbs and power lines.
In Memphis, power lines sagged then collapsed. Tree limbs snapped, crackled, and then popped. More than a half of Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW) customers lost power. Some lost power for up to three weeks. The dangerous conditions made it difficult for first responders and MLGW crew members to navigate the treacherous roads and restore power.
The winter storm spread from West Tennessee to North Mississippi, Eastern Arkansas, and Missouri. According to weather reports, nearly the entire Mid-South was locked in ice. Transformers exploded in flashes of blue and green light.
Major roadways became skating rinks. Back roads were impossible. Big wheels jackknifed and emergency crews struggled to respond. MLGW crew worked around the clock to repair the widespread damage. The damage was so extensive that repairs couldn’t keep pace with the new outages.
I remember waking up to the sound of trees snapping. Some people reported they thought someone was breaking into their homes. They were locked and loaded.
My two girls and I sheltered in place in our cold house as long as we could. After a few days, it was more than we could safely stand. A family friend didn’t lose power, therefore I slid on our personal skating rink, praying, we would make the six miles to their warm home. Thankfully, we made it!
We lost power for two weeks. It took three weeks for power to be restored to many other customers. It took months for the Mid-South area to recover.
Many non-Southerners are surprised there’s snow and ice in the South. We need to heed warnings and have a safety plan in place.
I remember the first snow/ice storm we had in Memphis. I was around five years old. I was living with my siblings and parents in abject poverty in the segregated South. We lived in a three room shotgun shack in a field off one of the major highways.
The winters in the shotgun shack at that location were treacherous. The wind howled like a hungry wolf. Ice hung from the tin roof like glaciers. We knocked the ice from the shack so we would have ice sickles to suck on. We pretended we had popsicles.
There was no insulation in the shack. Our mom (MaDear) paste old newspapers on the walls and put raggedly quilts up to the windows in an effort to keep out the draft. This was no match for the strong winds. The wood burning stove tried it’s best to keep us warm, but it was not enough for the icy and cold winter nights. My sister and I shared a bed in the front of the shack and our brothers shared another in the back. Our parents also slept in the back.
The cold wind seeped in through the cracks in the wall and floor. It felt like we were living outside. One night, my feet were frost bitten while sleeping and MaDear had to thaw them out. It felt like I had bricks for feet. By the coal oil lamp, I could see the shadows of our parents praying.
We moved from that shack to many more shacks. None were as cold as that shack. We weathered the storm many years. In 1968, we finally moved to a brick home in the projects. It felt like a palace.
In 2005, I bought a dilapidated shot gun house in South Memphis. My brother fixed it up to his liking and used it as an art studio. After he passed, I totally renovated the house for a low-income tenant. I’ll always remember how cold I when I lived in dilapidated dwellings.
Homeless individuals face life-threatening conditions in cold weather. They have to rely on emergency shelters, 24 hour locations, and makeshift shelters to try and stay warm. There are many reasons for poverty and homelessness in America, including mental health and substance abuse issues, high housing costs, and low or no incomes.
Many countries take care of the homeless. In Finland, the government believes that housing is a not a privilege, but a fundamental right for everyone, Instead of temporary shelters, the unhoused are given keys to permanent homes.
The United States should study the Finland model to eradicate homelessness.
Francie Mae. January 24, 2026
Reference
“Finland is the only country in the world where there is no homelessness.” Website. January 1, 2026. Accessed January 24, 2026.