Welchlin said brown water was coming out of her faucets. “We still wouldn’t use that water, we don’t boil it to do anything with it because the grit is in the water,” he said. “It’s a very bad public safety issue.” Jackson resident Geraldine Watts said she was able to grab some of the last water bottle cases at a grocery store on Monday. She and her family use bottled or boiled tap water for everything, including cooking and washing dishes. “I keep saying we’re going to be the next Michigan,” Watts said, “And it looks like that’s where we’re headed.” Flint, Michigan, was hit by a water crisis in 2015 when contaminated drinking water containing lead and other toxins was found in homes and residents reported children suffering from mysterious illnesses. In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the capital’s main water treatment facility began failing Monday, meaning it could not produce enough water to fight fires, reliably flush toilets and meet other critical needs. Reeves declared a state of emergency, activated the Mississippi National Guard and said the state was increasing resources to the city and beginning emergency maintenance. “We’re going to do everything in our power to restore the water pressure and get the water flowing back to the people of Jackson,” he said. The water crisis is disrupting almost every aspect of life in the city, where public schools turned to virtual learning on Tuesday. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson said the air conditioning in one facility was not working properly and portable toilets were being used in other facilities. At Jackson State University, there is “low to no water pressure at all campus locations” and water is being delivered to students, officials said. The varsity’s head football coach, Deion Sanders, said his football program is in “crisis mode.” As crews work to bring the water treatment plant back online, National Guard members are distributing bottled water, state officials said, but those efforts appeared unsustainable Tuesday. At a water distribution event at Hawkins Field Airport, residents were evacuated when the site ran out of 700 cases of water in just two hours.
Long-term problems in Jackson’s troubled water system
The problem this week stems from one of the city’s two water treatment facilities, the OB Curtis plant, which has been plagued by understaffing and three decades of delayed maintenance, according to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. The main pumps at the plant were badly damaged recently, and it began operating with smaller backup pumps about a month ago — around the time the last boil water advisory began — and that made failure increasingly likely, the governor said. The flooding of the Pearl River after recent heavy rains has affected treatment processes and thus the amount of running water the system can provide, Lumumba said. “I’ve said many times that it’s not a matter of ‘if’ our system is going to fail, it’s a matter of ‘when’ our system is going to fail,” the mayor said, adding that the city has been “going it alone for the better part of two years” when it comes to on the water crisis. Reeves said the state will split the cost of emergency repairs with the city, but the mayor said it would cost $2 billion to completely repair and replace the dated system, and that’s money the city doesn’t have. “We don’t have the funds to deal with 30 years of neglect,” the mayor told CNN. In early 2020, Jackson’s water system failed an Environmental Protection Agency inspection that found the drinking water had the potential to harbor harmful bacteria or parasites. In February 2021, a severe winter storm hit, freezing and bursting pipes and leaving many residents without water for a month. “Since then, there hasn’t been a month where we haven’t experienced no flow to low flow in some areas in south Jackson, and so it’s very disappointing,” Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks told CNN. “The sad part of it is — and the sad reality — is that this is kind of becoming the norm and we deserve a better quality of life here in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi,” Banks said. In July 2021, the EPA and the city entered into an agreement to address “long-term challenges and make necessary improvements to the drinking water system.” The EPA also recently announced $74.9 million in federal water and sewer infrastructure funds for Mississippi.
What the government does
Lumumba told CNN’s Pamela Brown that the city is working on more water distribution events. Ten tractor-trailer loads of water were expected to arrive in Jackson, and more than 108 semi-truckloads of water will arrive in the coming days, according to Lt. Col. Stephen McCraney, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Starting Thursday, there will be seven major distribution sites with 36 water trucks each available to the public, McCraney said. Companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Walmart and Save A lot, as well as volunteer organizations also donate water to the city, he added. Banks said the city also provides flush water. “One of the first things we realized is that people need to be able to flush because that becomes a problem as far as making sure people have the quality of life they need,” he said. “At the end of the day, we need a fix and the same attention that was given to Flint, Michigan, we need the same attention that was given to Jackson,” Banks said. Reeves said FEMA has received the statement asking the federal government to declare the water shortage a federal emergency. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the water crisis in Jackson and the White House has “made it clear that the federal government stands ready to provide assistance,” spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “FEMA is working closely with state officials to identify needs, and EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite the delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs to the City of Jackson’s water treatment facilities,” he said. CNN’s Amir Vera, Amanda Musa and Amy Simonson contributed to this report.
title: “Jackson Mississippi Water Crisis Leaves Residents Without Running Water Hospitals Without Air Conditioning And Schools Brought Online Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Emilie Perry”
Welchlin said brown water was coming out of her faucets. “We still wouldn’t use that water, we don’t boil it to do anything with it because the grit is in the water,” he said. “It’s a very bad public safety issue.” Jackson resident Geraldine Watts said she was able to grab some of the last water bottle cases at a grocery store on Monday. She and her family use bottled or boiled tap water for everything, including cooking and washing dishes. “I keep saying we’re going to be the next Michigan,” Watts said, “And it looks like that’s where we’re headed.” Flint, Michigan, was hit by a water crisis in 2015 when contaminated drinking water containing lead and other toxins was found in homes and residents reported children suffering from mysterious illnesses. In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the capital’s main water treatment facility began failing Monday, meaning it could not produce enough water to fight fires, reliably flush toilets and meet other critical needs. Reeves declared a state of emergency, activated the Mississippi National Guard and said the state was increasing resources to the city and beginning emergency maintenance. “We’re going to do everything in our power to restore the water pressure and get the water flowing back to the people of Jackson,” he said. The water crisis is disrupting almost every aspect of life in the city, where public schools turned to virtual learning on Tuesday. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson said the air conditioning in one facility was not working properly and portable toilets were being used in other facilities. At Jackson State University, there is “low to no water pressure at all campus locations” and water is being delivered to students, officials said. The varsity’s head football coach, Deion Sanders, said his football program is in “crisis mode.” As crews work to bring the water treatment plant back online, National Guard members are distributing bottled water, state officials said, but those efforts appeared unsustainable Tuesday. At a water distribution event at Hawkins Field Airport, residents were evacuated when the site ran out of 700 cases of water in just two hours.
Long-term problems in Jackson’s troubled water system
The problem this week stems from one of the city’s two water treatment facilities, the OB Curtis plant, which has been plagued by understaffing and three decades of delayed maintenance, according to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. The main pumps at the plant were badly damaged recently, and it began operating with smaller backup pumps about a month ago — around the time the last boil water advisory began — and that made failure increasingly likely, the governor said. The flooding of the Pearl River after recent heavy rains has affected treatment processes and thus the amount of running water the system can provide, Lumumba said. “I’ve said many times that it’s not a matter of ‘if’ our system is going to fail, it’s a matter of ‘when’ our system is going to fail,” the mayor said, adding that the city has been “going it alone for the better part of two years” when it comes to on the water crisis. Reeves said the state will split the cost of emergency repairs with the city, but the mayor said it would cost $2 billion to completely repair and replace the dated system, and that’s money the city doesn’t have. “We don’t have the funds to deal with 30 years of neglect,” the mayor told CNN. In early 2020, Jackson’s water system failed an Environmental Protection Agency inspection that found the drinking water had the potential to harbor harmful bacteria or parasites. In February 2021, a severe winter storm hit, freezing and bursting pipes and leaving many residents without water for a month. “Since then, there hasn’t been a month where we haven’t experienced no flow to low flow in some areas in south Jackson, and so it’s very disappointing,” Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks told CNN. “The sad part of it is — and the sad reality — is that this is kind of becoming the norm and we deserve a better quality of life here in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi,” Banks said. In July 2021, the EPA and the city entered into an agreement to address “long-term challenges and make necessary improvements to the drinking water system.” The EPA also recently announced $74.9 million in federal water and sewer infrastructure funds for Mississippi.
What the government does
Lumumba told CNN’s Pamela Brown that the city is working on more water distribution events. Ten tractor-trailer loads of water were expected to arrive in Jackson, and more than 108 semi-truckloads of water will arrive in the coming days, according to Lt. Col. Stephen McCraney, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Starting Thursday, there will be seven major distribution sites with 36 water trucks each available to the public, McCraney said. Companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Walmart and Save A lot, as well as volunteer organizations also donate water to the city, he added. Banks said the city also provides flush water. “One of the first things we realized is that people need to be able to flush because that becomes a problem as far as making sure people have the quality of life they need,” he said. “At the end of the day, we need a fix and the same attention that was given to Flint, Michigan, we need the same attention that was given to Jackson,” Banks said. Reeves said FEMA has received the statement asking the federal government to declare the water shortage a federal emergency. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the water crisis in Jackson and the White House has “made it clear that the federal government stands ready to provide assistance,” spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “FEMA is working closely with state officials to identify needs, and EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite the delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs to the City of Jackson’s water treatment facilities,” he said. CNN’s Amir Vera, Amanda Musa and Amy Simonson contributed to this report.
title: “Jackson Mississippi Water Crisis Leaves Residents Without Running Water Hospitals Without Air Conditioning And Schools Brought Online Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-17” author: “Benjamin Smith”
Welchlin said brown water was coming out of her faucets. “We still wouldn’t use that water, we don’t boil it to do anything with it because the grit is in the water,” he said. “It’s a very bad public safety issue.” Jackson resident Geraldine Watts said she was able to grab some of the last water bottle cases at a grocery store on Monday. She and her family use bottled or boiled tap water for everything, including cooking and washing dishes. “I keep saying we’re going to be the next Michigan,” Watts said, “And it looks like that’s where we’re headed.” Flint, Michigan, was hit by a water crisis in 2015 when contaminated drinking water containing lead and other toxins was found in homes and residents reported children suffering from mysterious illnesses. In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the capital’s main water treatment facility began failing Monday, meaning it could not produce enough water to fight fires, reliably flush toilets and meet other critical needs. Reeves declared a state of emergency, activated the Mississippi National Guard and said the state was increasing resources to the city and beginning emergency maintenance. “We’re going to do everything in our power to restore the water pressure and get the water flowing back to the people of Jackson,” he said. The water crisis is disrupting almost every aspect of life in the city, where public schools turned to virtual learning on Tuesday. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson said the air conditioning in one facility was not working properly and portable toilets were being used in other facilities. At Jackson State University, there is “low to no water pressure at all campus locations” and water is being delivered to students, officials said. The varsity’s head football coach, Deion Sanders, said his football program is in “crisis mode.” As crews work to bring the water treatment plant back online, National Guard members are distributing bottled water, state officials said, but those efforts appeared unsustainable Tuesday. At a water distribution event at Hawkins Field Airport, residents were evacuated when the site ran out of 700 cases of water in just two hours.
Long-term problems in Jackson’s troubled water system
The problem this week stems from one of the city’s two water treatment facilities, the OB Curtis plant, which has been plagued by understaffing and three decades of delayed maintenance, according to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. The main pumps at the plant were badly damaged recently, and it began operating with smaller backup pumps about a month ago — around the time the last boil water advisory began — and that made failure increasingly likely, the governor said. The flooding of the Pearl River after recent heavy rains has affected treatment processes and thus the amount of running water the system can provide, Lumumba said. “I’ve said many times that it’s not a matter of ‘if’ our system is going to fail, it’s a matter of ‘when’ our system is going to fail,” the mayor said, adding that the city has been “going it alone for the better part of two years” when it comes to on the water crisis. Reeves said the state will split the cost of emergency repairs with the city, but the mayor said it would cost $2 billion to completely repair and replace the dated system, and that’s money the city doesn’t have. “We don’t have the funds to deal with 30 years of neglect,” the mayor told CNN. In early 2020, Jackson’s water system failed an Environmental Protection Agency inspection that found the drinking water had the potential to harbor harmful bacteria or parasites. In February 2021, a severe winter storm hit, freezing and bursting pipes and leaving many residents without water for a month. “Since then, there hasn’t been a month where we haven’t experienced no flow to low flow in some areas in south Jackson, and so it’s very disappointing,” Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks told CNN. “The sad part of it is — and the sad reality — is that this is kind of becoming the norm and we deserve a better quality of life here in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi,” Banks said. In July 2021, the EPA and the city entered into an agreement to address “long-term challenges and make necessary improvements to the drinking water system.” The EPA also recently announced $74.9 million in federal water and sewer infrastructure funds for Mississippi.
What the government does
Lumumba told CNN’s Pamela Brown that the city is working on more water distribution events. Ten tractor-trailer loads of water were expected to arrive in Jackson, and more than 108 semi-truckloads of water will arrive in the coming days, according to Lt. Col. Stephen McCraney, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Starting Thursday, there will be seven major distribution sites with 36 water trucks each available to the public, McCraney said. Companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Walmart and Save A lot, as well as volunteer organizations also donate water to the city, he added. Banks said the city also provides flush water. “One of the first things we realized is that people need to be able to flush because that becomes a problem as far as making sure people have the quality of life they need,” he said. “At the end of the day, we need a fix and the same attention that was given to Flint, Michigan, we need the same attention that was given to Jackson,” Banks said. Reeves said FEMA has received the statement asking the federal government to declare the water shortage a federal emergency. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the water crisis in Jackson and the White House has “made it clear that the federal government stands ready to provide assistance,” spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “FEMA is working closely with state officials to identify needs, and EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite the delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs to the City of Jackson’s water treatment facilities,” he said. CNN’s Amir Vera, Amanda Musa and Amy Simonson contributed to this report.
title: “Jackson Mississippi Water Crisis Leaves Residents Without Running Water Hospitals Without Air Conditioning And Schools Brought Online Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-08” author: “Emmanuel Albers”
Welchlin said brown water was coming out of her faucets. “We still wouldn’t use that water, we don’t boil it to do anything with it because the grit is in the water,” he said. “It’s a very bad public safety issue.” Jackson resident Geraldine Watts said she was able to grab some of the last water bottle cases at a grocery store on Monday. She and her family use bottled or boiled tap water for everything, including cooking and washing dishes. “I keep saying we’re going to be the next Michigan,” Watts said, “And it looks like that’s where we’re headed.” Flint, Michigan, was hit by a water crisis in 2015 when contaminated drinking water containing lead and other toxins was found in homes and residents reported children suffering from mysterious illnesses. In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the capital’s main water treatment facility began failing Monday, meaning it could not produce enough water to fight fires, reliably flush toilets and meet other critical needs. Reeves declared a state of emergency, activated the Mississippi National Guard and said the state was increasing resources to the city and beginning emergency maintenance. “We’re going to do everything in our power to restore the water pressure and get the water flowing back to the people of Jackson,” he said. The water crisis is disrupting almost every aspect of life in the city, where public schools turned to virtual learning on Tuesday. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson said the air conditioning in one facility was not working properly and portable toilets were being used in other facilities. At Jackson State University, there is “low to no water pressure at all campus locations” and water is being delivered to students, officials said. The varsity’s head football coach, Deion Sanders, said his football program is in “crisis mode.” As crews work to bring the water treatment plant back online, National Guard members are distributing bottled water, state officials said, but those efforts appeared unsustainable Tuesday. At a water distribution event at Hawkins Field Airport, residents were evacuated when the site ran out of 700 cases of water in just two hours.
Long-term problems in Jackson’s troubled water system
The problem this week stems from one of the city’s two water treatment facilities, the OB Curtis plant, which has been plagued by understaffing and three decades of delayed maintenance, according to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. The main pumps at the plant were badly damaged recently, and it began operating with smaller backup pumps about a month ago — around the time the last boil water advisory began — and that made failure increasingly likely, the governor said. The flooding of the Pearl River after recent heavy rains has affected treatment processes and thus the amount of running water the system can provide, Lumumba said. “I’ve said many times that it’s not a matter of ‘if’ our system is going to fail, it’s a matter of ‘when’ our system is going to fail,” the mayor said, adding that the city has been “going it alone for the better part of two years” when it comes to on the water crisis. Reeves said the state will split the cost of emergency repairs with the city, but the mayor said it would cost $2 billion to completely repair and replace the dated system, and that’s money the city doesn’t have. “We don’t have the funds to deal with 30 years of neglect,” the mayor told CNN. In early 2020, Jackson’s water system failed an Environmental Protection Agency inspection that found the drinking water had the potential to harbor harmful bacteria or parasites. In February 2021, a severe winter storm hit, freezing and bursting pipes and leaving many residents without water for a month. “Since then, there hasn’t been a month where we haven’t experienced no flow to low flow in some areas in south Jackson, and so it’s very disappointing,” Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks told CNN. “The sad part of it is — and the sad reality — is that this is kind of becoming the norm and we deserve a better quality of life here in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi,” Banks said. In July 2021, the EPA and the city entered into an agreement to address “long-term challenges and make necessary improvements to the drinking water system.” The EPA also recently announced $74.9 million in federal water and sewer infrastructure funds for Mississippi.
What the government does
Lumumba told CNN’s Pamela Brown that the city is working on more water distribution events. Ten tractor-trailer loads of water were expected to arrive in Jackson, and more than 108 semi-truckloads of water will arrive in the coming days, according to Lt. Col. Stephen McCraney, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Starting Thursday, there will be seven major distribution sites with 36 water trucks each available to the public, McCraney said. Companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Walmart and Save A lot, as well as volunteer organizations also donate water to the city, he added. Banks said the city also provides flush water. “One of the first things we realized is that people need to be able to flush because that becomes a problem as far as making sure people have the quality of life they need,” he said. “At the end of the day, we need a fix and the same attention that was given to Flint, Michigan, we need the same attention that was given to Jackson,” Banks said. Reeves said FEMA has received the statement asking the federal government to declare the water shortage a federal emergency. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the water crisis in Jackson and the White House has “made it clear that the federal government stands ready to provide assistance,” spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “FEMA is working closely with state officials to identify needs, and EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite the delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs to the City of Jackson’s water treatment facilities,” he said. CNN’s Amir Vera, Amanda Musa and Amy Simonson contributed to this report.
