Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Monday due to the state capitol’s water shortage. Reeves said the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is also working to prepare an emergency order due to little or no water pressure in the city of Jackson.
The state of emergency declaration comes after Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba declared a water system emergency due to complications from the Pearl River flooding. The mayor said the flooding led to water pressure issues at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility, causing little to no water pressure for many Jackson customers. Until the issue at the treatment facility has been fixed, there is no reliable, running water in the city, affecting more than 100,000 people.
State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said neighbors should boil their water for one minute before consuming it. The state has also created a mobile incident command center, which will be in operation on Tuesday to help with repairs and improvements at the water treatment plant. Reeves said the city of Jackson will be responsible for half of the cost of the emergency repairs that will be made at the facility.
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