“I have been assured by MEMA that they will supplement those locations with about 28 tanker trucks distributed at various points across the city,” Lumumba told CNN.Įxplanations for Jackson’s failing system are complicated: Damage this summer to pumps at the main water treatment facility made failure increasingly likely as the summer progressed, the governor said and flooding of the Pearl River after heavy rains last week affected treatment processes and therefore the amount of running water the system can provide, Lumumba said. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will provide nearly 30 water trucks to help supplement the city events, the mayor said. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba told CNN’s Pamela Brown the city is working on more water distribution events. People line up for water in Jackson, Mississippi, on August 30, 2022. Watts was referring to the water crisis in the city of Flint, which has battled water issues since a 2014 water crisis in which lead-contaminated water fed to residents’ faucets. “And it looks like that’s exactly what we’re headed for.” “I keep saying we’re going to be the next Michigan,” said Jeraldine Watts, 86, who was able to get water at a grocery store Monday night. The event was supposed to span three hours, but barely ran two as people were eventually turned away when the 700 cases of water ran out.

Residents of all ages were seen waiting in lines more than a mile long at Hawkins Field Airport for at least two hours Tuesday for just one case of bottled water. The National Guard was called up to help distribute bottled water as crews work to get the water treatment plant back online, state officials said.īut the distribution itself proved unsustainable. Jackson’s main water treatment facility began failing Monday, according to Gov. Recent torrential rain coupled with years of water system issues have resulted in a crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, where the city doesn’t have enough water to fight fires, flush toilets or even hand out to residents in need.

Before Life Happened by Isabel Curtis