Residents of Jackson, Mississippi, are being told not to drink the tap water as a water treatment plant is no longer functioning after recent floods, Fox Weather is reporting.
Gov. Tate Reeves declared the State of Emergency on Monday to have the state government, which includes the Mississippi National Guard and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, assist while the issue is being resolved.
“This is very different from a boil water notice– which is also a serious situation which the residents of Jackson have become tragically numb to,” Reeves said in a statement.
“Until it is fixed, it means we do not have reliable running water at scale. It means the city cannot produce enough water to reliably flush toilets, fight fires, and meet other critical needs,” the governor continued.
I have declared a State of Emergency and activated the Mississippi National Guard in response to the ongoing running water crisis in Jackson. pic.twitter.com/dj6xrqfQ95
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) August 30, 2022
The state has created an incident command center to step in and restore water at the city’s plant. We are sending a request for a federally-declared disaster to support state and city emergencies. Clear communication between locals/state/feds. Please keep Jackson in your prayers! https://t.co/fmTPpqNu10
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) August 30, 2022
Jackson is both the capital and the most populated city in the state, as the statement notes that the state is trying to distribute bottled water for “up to 180,000 people” indefinitely.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba also declared a local emergency.
“We’ve been actually lifting up our persistent water challenges for the better part of two years. Crying out for any assistance we could get,” Lumumba said, according to The Hill. “The good news is that we have seen persistent gains in our system overnight. There are residents who did not have water yesterday that their pressure is being restored.”
Jackson Mayor @ChokweALumumba: "We've been actually lifting up our persistent water challenges for the better part of two years. Crying out for any assistance we could get. […] To have the declaration of emergency by the state […] is welcome news." https://t.co/VwVcVZzU0t pic.twitter.com/R3ofN8YOPF
— The Hill (@thehill) August 30, 2022
