Mississippi authorities declared a health emergency Tuesday after record flooding damaged treatment systems and left 180,000 people without drinking water in Jackson, the state capital.
Governor Tate Reeves warned residents of the crisis and deployed the National Guard to help distribute water throughout the city.
The Mississippi State Department of Health said treatment plants had failed and there were low water levels in storage tanks serving Jackson.
Contaminated water
From many taps in the water did not come out of the city or it came out contaminated or untreated, the authorities warned.
“The city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, flush toilets and meet other vital needs,” said the governor, adding that emergency services would distribute drinking water to residents through a ” enormously complicated logistical task”.
With an outdated infrastructure, Jackson has been under a boil water order for consumption purposes since late July.
Rains intensified the crisis
The recent torrential rains intensified the crisis by overflowing the city’s Pearl River and generating unprecedented flooding that began to recede Monday, the Jackson City Council said in a statement.
According to the Department of Health, the water treatment plants in Jackson do not they do not have enough maintenance personnel or certified operators to operate the system safely, creating a risk of possible contamination by dangerous organisms such as E. coli and Giardia.
Reeves urged residents to avoid using the water that comes out of their taps. “In too many cases, it’s untreated reservoir water being pushed through pipes. Be smart, protect yourself, protect your family, take care of the water, take care of your neighbor and take care of your neighbors.”
Without water, Jackson public schools were operating virtually on Tuesday and had not yet scheduled an in-person return to classrooms.
Jackson’s water system has suffered “significant deficiencies” since 2016, according to a Department of Health report, with part of its network of distribution with pipes that are over a century old and contaminated with lead.