Historic “Winter Storm Fern” Paralyses U.S. as FEMA Abruptly Halts Staff Terminations Amid Mounting National Emergency (Video)

A sprawling, “potentially historic” weather system, unofficially named Winter Storm Fern, is currently battering a 2,000-mile stretch of the United States, affecting upwards of 230 million people from Texas to Maine. As of Friday, January 23, 2026, at least 13 states have declared states of emergency in response to a volatile mix of catastrophic ice, heavy snow, and record-shattering Arctic temperatures. In a stunning reversal coinciding with the storm’s escalation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an immediate halt to the planned firing and non-renewal of hundreds of FEMA disaster response workers.

A Nation Under Ice and Snow

The storm’s footprint is immense. National Weather Service (NWS) alerts currently span from the Four Corners region through the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast. Meteorologists from AccuWeather and the NWS have warned that the interaction between the polar vortex and a moisture-rich southern system is creating a “broad-scale winter emergency.”

• The Deep South: States including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia are bracing for “catastrophic” ice accumulations ranging from 0.25 to over 1 inch. Utilities like Entergy have warned that even a half-inch of ice can add 500 pounds of weight to power lines, threatening weeks of outages.
• The Midwest and Northeast: Heavy snow totals exceeding 12 inches are forecast for the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a statewide emergency, and travel conditions are expected to remain “treacherous to impossible” through Monday.
• Extreme Cold: Wind chills are projected to plummet to 50 ° F in the Northern Plains, while regions as far south as Texas could see wind chills drop below zero.

FEMA’s “New Year’s Eve Massacre” Put on Ice

The environmental crisis has forced a sudden shift in federal personnel policy. Since the start of 2026, the Trump administration had been moving forward with significant cuts to FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE)—the specialized workforce that serves as the backbone of federal disaster response.

Initially dubbed the “New Year’s Eve Massacre” by agency staff, the cuts saw dozens of experienced responders receiving termination notices. However, late Thursday night, as governors across the country activated National Guard units, DHS officials issued an emergency directive to pause all offboarding.

According to internal emails obtained by mainstream outlets, the decision was driven by the “operational need” to have “all hands on deck” for Winter Storm Fern. Reports indicate that approximately 30 workers who received termination notices just hours earlier were told to remain in their positions. Despite the pause, uncertainty remains, as DHS officials have not confirmed how long these positions will be protected once the immediate threat of the storm passes.

State and Federal Mobilization

The federal government has activated its National Response Coordination Center. FEMA has already pre-positioned 250,000 meals and 400,000 liters of water in Louisiana and moved dozens of industrial generators to Virginia, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, life on the ground has come to a standstill. More than 1,400 domestic flights have been canceled, and major retailers in Nashville and Bethesda report empty shelves as residents stockpile food and heating supplies. Governors in states like South Carolina and Kentucky have suspended commercial vehicle regulations to expedite the delivery of road salt and emergency equipment.

As Winter Storm Fern moves toward Atlantic Canada by Sunday, the focus remains on the “deadly transition” from rain to ice, a shift that forecasters warn could leave millions in the dark and cold during the most significant weather event of the decade.

Sources and Links

• The Washington Post: DHS pauses cuts to FEMA as massive winter storm barrels in
• The Guardian: Monster winter storm threatens half of US with 13 states declaring emergencies
• CNN/CBS58: DHS begins slashing FEMA disaster response staff as 2026 begins
• NPR (WBOI): A massive winter storm will hit large parts of the U.S. through the weekend
• Common Dreams: ‘New Year’s Eve Massacre’: Trump Administration Makes Deep Cuts at FEMA
• EMS1: FEMA halts disaster worker terminations ahead of winter storm
• Weather and Government Sources
• AccuWeather / NOAA: Dangerous winter storm, extreme cold on the way for large portion of U.S.
• Wikipedia (Ongoing Coverage): January 2026 United States winter storm
• Entergy Storm Center: January winter storm update – 1/22/2026