ENVIRONMENT

Multiple Southeastern Governors Declare Emergencies Ahead Of Storm

PUBLISHED Jan 21, 2026, 4:50 PM ET

Read, Watch or Listen

Multiple Southeastern Governors Declare Emergencies Ahead Of Storm

Media Bias Meter

Sources: 7

Center 100%

Sources: 7

Raleigh, N.C. Governors in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia declared states of emergency Wednesday and mobilized state agencies ahead of a major winter storm forecast to arrive this weekend. State transportation departments pretreated roads and restocked salt; national guards and emergency response teams were activated. Officials urged residents to prepare, avoid travel, and secure supplies as forecasts showed accumulating snow, sleet and freezing rain with potential power outages from Saturday into next week. WXII and others scheduled media briefings to provide updates and timelines. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

By Emily Rhodes | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

Jan. 21: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declares state of emergency and activates emergency response.
Jan. 21: Winter storm watches issued for the Charlotte region for Jan. 24–26.
Jan. 21: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declares state of emergency; mobilizes National Guard.
Jan. 21: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declares statewide emergency and activates State Operations Center.
Jan. 22–23: DOTs pre-treat roads, restock salt, and prepare equipment ahead of the storm.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 7
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 7

Who Benefited

State emergency management agencies, transportation departments and first responders benefited from pre-deployment of resources, regulatory waivers and activated response teams that improved operational capacity ahead of the storm.

Who Impacted

Residents, commuters and small businesses in affected regions suffered increased risk of hazardous travel conditions, power outages, supply disruptions and potential property damage during and after the storm.

Media Bias