How Ministries and Churches are Responding to the State of Emergency from Major Winter Storm Fran
Winter snowstorm Fran of 2026 may be talked about for years to come, given its size and the large number of Americans who were impacted by it. About 55 percent of all people living in the continental United States are under some type of weather alert, and hundreds of thousands are without power, according to the Washington Post.
“It is a unique storm in the sense that it is so widespread,” weather service meteorologist Allison Santorelli said in a phone interview with CBN. “It was affecting areas all the way from New Mexico, Texas, all the way into New England, so we’re talking like a 2,000 mile spread.”
At least 10 states in the storm’s path declared a state of emergency even before the snow began to fall, according to FEMA, with many cities across the United States issuing snow emergencies intended to keep citizens off the streets so emergency crews could do their jobs plowing and salting roads, restoring power where it’s lost, and clearing the way for other crews managing the massive amount of falling snow.
Many ministries are on the move, and many churches are opening their doors as warming centers as needs in each community arise.
Send Relief
Send Relief is working alongside of Baptist state disaster relief teams in several southern states in need of help.
“Every affected state has teams on standby for response, with some teams already in response, but hazardous road conditions may delay SBDR teams in some areas in their ability to deploy,” Coy Webb, crisis response director for Send Relief, told Baptist Press.
Webb said that some of the locations where teams are active include:
- Arkansas – warming center in Saline County
- Louisiana – team working with the American Red Cross at a warming center
- Texas – Texans on Mission is working with local churches to feed the homeless and provide shelter.
“Send Relief and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders have continued to monitor the historic winter storm sweeping across the U.S. and have been in communication with government and partner organizations,” Webb said.
Send Relief is providing U.S. storm response and disaster updates at SendRelief.com.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army has Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) teams that are involved and in consistent coordination with local and state emergency management officials. Some of the ways in which they’re working together include planning calls and situational briefings regarding rapid deployment when resources and conditions make it possible.
“Our priority is always the safety and well-being of our neighbors, especially those most vulnerable during extreme winter weather,” Lanita Lloyd, Emergency Disaster Director for The Salvation Army of Georgia told The Salvation Army “We are staying closely connected with emergency partners and are prepared to respond with compassion, care, and practical support as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The Salvation Army of Georgia and Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief have been working together with other response partners for the citizens of Georgia. Warming shelters and mobile shelters are available in various communities. For more information, click here.
The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross has trained disaster relief teams that are working alongside national and local partner agencies spanning from Texas to New England. There are some areas in which warming centers and shelters were set up in advance of winter snowstorm Fran. Presently, over 125 warming centers / shelters have been set up in impacted areas, and all disaster assistance is free. Those in need can search for nearby shelters here. The Red Cross emergency mobile app is available here.
Additional Information
For information on where to find a shelter locally, or to get the most current information about assistance that’s available for those in need, 211.org is another organization that can either provide assistance or connect people with needed resources.
Related Article
How American Churches Are Erasing Millions in Medical Debt—and Why It Matters
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Mladen Zivkovic
Originally published January 26, 2026.
