Members of Operation Good grab cases of water to hand out in Jackson, Mississippi on March 24, 2022. - Every morning, 180 students at a school in Jackson, Mississippi have to board a bus to be taken to another nearby school. The reason? Their school lacks the water pressure needed to flush its own toilets. Cheryl Brown, the principal at Wilkins Elementary, where 98 percent of the 400 students are African-American and most come from underprivileged backgrounds, doesn't hide her frustration. (Photo by Mark Felix / AFP) (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)
According to multiple reports, the leaders in Mississippi are stepping in and trying to find a resolution quickly amid a water crisis in the state’s capital. Governor Tate Reeves acted quickly and declared a state of emergency for all Jackson residents. As we reported earlier, the city’s main water treatment facility failed on Monday. Officials blame longstanding water system problems and this week’s river flooding.
Governor Reeves told residents, “Do Not Drink the Water,” according to CNN. In a written statement, he said that as long as Jackson lacks reliable running water, the city “cannot produce enough water to reliably flush toilets, fight fires, and meet other critical needs.” State officials say that the National Guard has been called to help with the distribution as crews work to get the water treatment plant back online. They will distribute drinking and non-drinking water to up to 180,000 city residents.
The state is also setting up a tanker system to provide water for fire trucks as Jackson loses the ability to take water from fire hydrants. Currently, residents of all ages were seen waiting in lines more than a mile long for at least two hours Tuesday for just one case of bottled water. One of our Roommates shared with us video footage of the long lines.
Unfortunately, Jackson has been having water issues for a long time. During a news conference Monday, Jackson’s Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said it was only a matter before the water system failed because Jackson’s water system has faced serious issues for years. Mayor Lumumba stated, “I have said on multiple occasions that it’s not a matter of ‘if’ our system would fail, but a matter of ‘when’ our system would fail,” the mayor said, adding that the city has been “going at it alone for the better part of two years” when it comes to the water crisis.
Our thoughts are with those affected by this crisis.
