Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Mississippi Free Press reports:
Jackson’s water system is failing and water across the city is entirely unsafe to drink, officials said at an emergency briefing Monday night. State leadership have warned all residents of Mississippi’s capital city to boil water before drinking or even brushing their teeth.
“We need to provide water for up to 180,000 people for an unknown period of time,” Reeves said tonight.
“Please stay safe,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said at the evening briefing. “Do not drink the water. In too many cases, it is raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes. Be smart, protect yourself, protect your family, preserve water, look out for your fellow man and look out for your neighbors.”
NPR reports:
Reeves said Monday night that he is declaring a state of emergency after excessive rainfall exacerbated problems in one of Jackson’s water-treatment plants and caused low water pressure through much of the capital city.
The low pressure raised concerns about firefighting and about people’s ability to take showers or flush toilets.
Reeves said that on Tuesday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will start distributing both drinking water and non-potable water in the city of 150,000 residents, and the National Guard will be called in to help.
Mississippi Today reports:
Jackson residents already have no or little water pressure, and officials cannot say when adequate, reliable service will be restored. The city water system has been plagued with problems for years, including tens of thousands of residents losing water between one and three weeks during a 2021 winter storm.
Jackson’s antiquated, poorly maintained water and sewerage system has seen recurring failures — including loss of water for much of the city for a month after winter storms in 2021. Federal authorities have issued warnings the system is at risk of failure and of harmful contaminant levels.
In a press conference on Monday to announce the Pearl River crested lower than expected and likely won’t bring widespread flooding of homes and businesses, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced the city had to reduce pressure for the entire city water system because of infiltration of floodwater.
LATEST: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves now says that 180,000 people in the City of Jackson—the state capital—will be without running water to drink or even brush their teeth “for an unknown period of time.” https://t.co/RyWu22NOKL
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) August 30, 2022
Remember, Jackson is an 83% Black city and problems with the water system have been going on and getting worse for decades.
We didn’t get to this total crisis point over night. It’s been decades in the making. This is the predictable result.https://t.co/RyWu22NOKL
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) August 30, 2022
Fixing Jackson’s water system could cost $1 billion.
Mississippi received just $429 million for water repairs across the *entire state* from President Biden’s infrastructure bill.
Only a small fraction of that went to improving Jackson’s water system.https://t.co/9fbIy77634
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) August 30, 2022