Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves is holding a Wednesday afternoon news conference to provide an update on the water crisis in Jackson.
Reeves' comments will follow state and federal emergency declarations issued this week in response to the crisis. Residents remain under a boil water notice, with officials distributing bottled water and non-potable water across the city for residents in need.
The governor said earlier this week that it was unknown how long the crisis in Jackson would continue.
Reeves' press briefing is expected to begin at 4:30 p.m. CDT and will stream live on his Facebook page.
Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba held a briefing of his own to share that a new pump was installed at the city's O.B. Curtis Water Plant. Officials are "hoping" that they'll soon see water pressure increases, he said.
Update on the efforts to combat the Jackson water crisis. Please join me today at 4:30pm for a press conference live on my Facebook page.https://t.co/pRdPsNTWRl
An emergency rental pump has been brought in for Jackson's water treatment plant, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced.
"Thank you to the operators, delivery teams, and experts on the ground who are making these repairs to restore water for the people of Jackson," Reeves said in a tweet. "More to be done, but the work is happening at an incredible pace!"
We are installing our emergency rental pump at Jackson’s water plant. Thank you to the operators, delivery teams, and experts on the ground who are making these repairs to restore water for the people of Jackson. More to be done, but the work is happening at an incredible pace! pic.twitter.com/nuv3o8wmXl
During a press briefing Wednesday, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the new pump is in and "pumping" and said he is "grateful" for the addition to the treatment process.
A video shared on social media this week that appeared to show a water tanker driving past the Mississippi governor's mansion led some people to wonder if the tanker was providing that specific location with water as residents throughout Mississippi's capital city confronted water supply issues.
The video, which was shared Tuesday morning on Twitter, amassed more than 224,000 views by Wednesday afternoon. It was unclear in the video if the tanker was carrying any water and where it was headed.
Governor Tate Reeves' office told Newsweek the tanker's destination at the time of the video was unrelated to operations at the governor's mansion.
"Many businesses have also brought in their own tankers," Reeves' office said. "[The tanker] is not supporting the Governor's Mansion or any other state assets."
State and city officials are working on resolving Jackson's water crisis, but as of Wednesday afternoon there was no estimated timeframe for when the problems would be resolved. In the meantime, city officials are distributing bottled water and non-potable water to residents in need at multiple spots in the area.
When the Jackson State University football team was forced to leave campus this week amid the ongoing water crisis in the city, a neighboring town stepped up to help the team out.
Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons said business leaders and other community stakeholders pitched in to provide food and housing for the coaching staff and players. The city will also provide a practice field as the team prepares for their upcoming game.
Coach Deion Sanders shared his frustration with the lack of water in Jackson in a YouTube video Tuesday. Without water, Sanders said the team doesn't have air-conditioning, ice or use of showers or toilets, which "places a burden on the program."
"Right now, we are operating in crisis mode," he said, adding that he has to accommodate his players who live on campus or in the city with food, water housing and a practice space.
But Mayor Simmons, a JSU graduate himself, was there to answer the call.
"When our neighbor is in need, we are in need and should lend a helping hand," Simmons said in a news release. "The Bible commands us to love thy neighbor as thyself."
Sanders sent his "love, thanks and appreciation" to the people who gave support and donations to the team during this crisis.
"You have no idea what that means to us," he said in a video message posted on Twitter. "You are unbelievable."
I just want to say Thank You! pic.twitter.com/1xpJooPkjU
President Joe Biden spoke with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba Wednesday morning about the ongoing water crisis in the city.
Biden "heard first-hand from the mayor about the urgent situation with access to clean water," the White House said.
The two leaders discussed emergency response efforts currently underway and Biden "expressed his determination to provide federal support to address the immediate crisis and the longer term effort to rebuild Jackson's water infrastructure," according to the White House.
"I've declared a state of emergency and FEMA, EPA, and the Army Corps are coordinating with the state to get clean and safe water to families," Biden said in a tweet.
This morning, I spoke with Mayor Lumumba regarding the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi. I’ve declared a state of emergency and FEMA, EPA, and the Army Corps are coordinating with the state to get clean and safe water to families. pic.twitter.com/xV6bcZK2TU
Octavia Spencer said she is "extremely concerned" about the ongoing water crisis that residents of Jackson, Mississippi, are facing.
The actress addressed the water shortage issues in a Wednesday morning tweet that identified access to water as "a basic need" for "daily survival."
"Running water is a basic need that must be met and maintained for daily survival," Spencer's tweet said. "This is unfathomable!"
The city remains under a boil water notice, with residents advised to avoid drinking tap water and take precautions for the water they do choose to use. The city has been distributing bottled drinking water to residents throughout the week as state and city officials work to address the problems with Jackson's water system.
I’m extremely concerned about the water crisis in Jackson. Running water is a basic need that must be met and maintained for daily survival. This is unfathomable!
State officials in Mississippi are warning Jackson residents against ingesting water while bathing amid the city's ongoing water crisis.
An official with the state health department told residents on Tuesday that they can safely take baths or showers using the city's water, but said, "don't open your mouth while you're in the shower."
Jackson residents remain under a boil water notice as officials work to resolve issues with the city's water system. The city is distributing bottled water to residents and instructing those who continue using tap water at home that water should be kept at a rolling boil for at least one minute to ensure it is clean enough to drink.
The American Red Cross also shared instructions on social media to help residents ensure the water they drink is safe.
If your area is under a boil water advisory, follow these steps to treat any water used for cooking, drinking, food prep or brushing teeth. Learn more: https://t.co/t9iJ27HnR1 pic.twitter.com/zkMMglh1LJ
The current water crisis in Jackson, MS is nothing new.
The state of emergency declared by the mayor, governor and now President Joe Biden came after rising levels of the Pearl River caused flooding and issues at a water treatment plant left residents with little or no running water.
"Water pressure issues at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant are resulting in low or no water pressure for many Jackson customers. The water shortage is likely to last the next couple of days," the mayor's office said in a statement.
Before that, the city was already under a boil-water advisory for the past month, after the city discovered "high turbidity levels" in the water.
But the capital city has been facing issues with its water system for years.
In 2021, freezing temperatures during a winter storm froze some of the city's water pipes and placed added stress to the water reserve system. Some pipes burst, leaving many residents without water for up to three weeks.
"It's a very expensive system to repair. It is expensive to change out 100-year-old pipes that will cost literally more than a billion dollars to replace our entire system," Mayor Chokwe Lumumba said at the time.
Last year, Governor Tate Reeves said the water challenges Jackson faced were "were born over literally 30, 40, 50 years of negligence and ignoring the challenges of the pipes and the system."
He said the decades of deferred maintenance cannot be fixed in the short term.
In 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an emergency order warning that the water system in Jackson posed "an imminent and substantial endangerment" to residents and could contain dangerous contaminants such as E. coli. State health officials alerted the city about elevated levels of lead in its drinking water four years before that.
WLBT-TV also reported that in 2020, court records revealed that city dumped billions of gallons of partially treated wastewater into the Pearl River. The report came after the city signed an agreement in 2013 with the EPA to fix sewage issues.
City and state officials have called for an overhaul of the water treatment plants to fix decades-old issues and weatherize the facility against future threats. This would cost billions of dollars and take years to complete.
Metro-area YMCAs in Mississippi opened their shower stalls this week to college students and faculty who have limited water access amid the ongoing water crisis in Jackson.
The organization said in a Tuesday Facebook post that it will provide shower access to students and faculty at Jackson State University, Belhaven University, Millsaps College and Hinds Community College.
Students and faculty who attend or teach at those four schools will need to show their school-affiliated identification card in order to get access, after which they will be able to shower at a YMCA facility for free. The showers will be open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to WAPT-TV.
The offer for free shower access comes as many local college students are relying on portable showers and toilets, according to Mississippi Today. The water crisis is causing many local schools to shift to remote learning, depend on bottled water for hydration and limit meal services as facilities attempt to carry on without a sufficient water supply.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba welcomed federal support "with open arms" after dealing with water issues for two years.
The Democratic mayor told ABC that the challenges of the water crisis are "beyond partisan" and are really "human rights" issues.
He said the crisis is due to decades of deferred maintenance, lack of capital improvements to the system and a lack of human capital that accounted for the problems the water treatment facility suffers from.
Lumumba said the state health department and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) are helping the city meet staffing and repair needs.
The mayor also attributes the water issues to climate change, saying hotter summers, colder winters and more precipitation each year are "taking toll on the city's infrastructure."
"We need the support to not only create sustainability and equity in our system, but to also weatherize our system," he said.
The crisis is different in different parts of the city, Lumumba said, as the poorest areas are are being hit the hardest.
Jackson Mayor @ChokweALumumba speaks on the city's water crisis after Mississippi Gov. Reeves declares state of emergency: “We need the support to not only create sustainability and equity in our system, but to also weatherize our system.” https://t.co/vQIAJblPfr pic.twitter.com/FRq2f7vW3n
"We suffer in the southern portion of our city most disproportionately," he said. "Some of the most impoverished parts of our city are feeling the brunt of this challenge more consistently and worse off than the rest of our city."
Jackson is a prime example of environmental justice issues, Lumumba said.
He said there has been great disparity in the funding and resources provided to Jackson compared to other parts of the state.
Lumumba said it is time for Jackson to present a new model for the rest of the state to ensure each resident is treated with dignity and never has to worry about having access to "the basic resource of water."
Using state resources to get the treatment plant up and running properly is just a short-term solution, Lumumba said. In the long-term, he is looking towards using state and federal funding to make overall adjustments to the plant.
Since he took office in 2018, Lumumba said he has advocated to the state for the challenges the city has been facing. He said the city has already invested $8 million to build a larger pipe to service south Jackson and make efforts to weatherize the facility, but they cannot solve over three decades of issues alone.
Now, Lumumba is trying to build a coalition that will work "arm-in-arm" to work for the residents of Jackson. He said it will cost billions of dollars to fix the issues.
"The residents of Jackson are worthy of a dependable system, and we look forward to a coalition of the willing who will join us in the fight to improve this system that's been failing for decades," Lumumba said.
He told Democracy Now that Jackson needs "an overhaul" of the water treatment facility, as it has "never functioned optimally."
"In all actuality, a new water treatment facility is in order," he said.
In the future, Lumumba hopes the city can automate and weatherize the plant to ensure it can function properly amid floods and extreme temperatures.
"The city has invested tens of millions in our water treatment process and facility over the last few years, but with the decades-long damage to our system, we can't go it alone," he said in a tweet. "We're encouraged by the coalition building we see taking place now to support our residents."
The City has invested tens of millions in our water treatment process and facility over the last few years, but with the decades-long damage to our system, we can’t go it alone. We’re encouraged by the coalition building we see taking place now to support our residents. https://t.co/shiG2vDKLZ
Dozens of schools in Jackson, Mississippi, are continuing to operate classes remotely on Wednesday due to the city's ongoing water crisis.
Schools in the Jackson Public Schools district shifted to online learning earlier this week as residents across the city dealt with low water pressure and boil water notices.
The district mentioned the water shortage in its announcement about virtual learning continuing Wednesday. Many schools also use air conditioning systems that require water to operate, the district added.
While Jackson's mayor has said it is possible the city will have water access restored later this week, officials were as of Wednesday morning not sure exactly when that would happen. Jackson Public Schools said it "will continue to evaluate the water conditions" as administrative officials decide when to bring students back into classrooms.
Classes will meet virtually, but nearly all schools within the district will serve breakfast and lunch. The district provided a list of locations and times for where and when these meals will be served on its website.
The district also shared an assistance line for "families who are overwhelmed due to the challenges of virtual learning and water outage stressors," which is accessible from 12 to 8 p.m. every day at (601) 713-4358.
JPS will continue virtual learning on Wednesday, August 31. The District will continue to evaluate the water conditions every day to determine when it is safe to return to in-person learning. #1District1Direction #WeAreJPS READ MORE: https://t.co/BmxNg1wGCL pic.twitter.com/VGm6NpEPlV
Low water pressure across Jackson, MS is causing issues with air conditioning systems.
The Jackson Medical Mall is making changes to ensure their patients are comfortable after the low water pressure shut down the air conditioning system.
"It's a concealed tight building, and so we have to have circulating air to make sure folks are comfortable, and folks expect that," Executive Director Jackson Medical Mall Primus Wheeler told WLBT-TV.
The facility first started seeing problems Monday as water pressure declined in the building.
"We ran fairly smoothly on Monday, and as the day went on, the pressure started to drop and started to lose pressure in the air conditioning system in the late evening," he said. "Had we got some notice that the system was going to be totally down, we would have gotten a better head start to have our tankers in place."
The medical mall's dialysis unit is now running off a tanker that was brought in from Missouri to ensure patients can still receive treatment. They also brought in portable toilets.
Actually, we have some upscale porta potties with air-conditioners in them," Wheeler said. "We have bottled water for folks for drinking and gave a system of folks in place to make sure the toilets and systems are flushing and working."
Jackson, MS Mayor Chokwe Lumumba said he is "optimistic" that water could be restored across the city this week.
"We believe, and are optimistic, that we can see water restored to out residents within this week," Lumumba told CNN Wednesday morning.
But he said there is still a "huge mountain to climb in order to achieve that end."
As city and state crews are working to restore water pressure and refill tanks, they have run into problems.
Lumumba said there were some "regressions" last night at the water treatment plant. He said crews saw there was "trouble" with the water quality coming out of the pumps and they had to slow the output of water to make sure the proper chemical change to address what they are seeing.
Emergency crews are continuing to distribute clean, bottled water to residents across the city. This began a month ago when the city was first put under a boil-water notice before the Pearl River flooding and the issues with water pressure.
Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Lumumba: We are "optimistic we can see water restored to our residents within this week." pic.twitter.com/fhctgfHtYu
Lumumba said the current water crisis is an accumulation of "years and years" of problems.
He said there have been challenges that the city has "been lifting up for the better part of three or four years."
"It was not a matter of if our system will fail, but when our system will fail," he said.
Lumumba said these issues have been present in the city since his family moved the Jackson in 1988. He faults an "underinvestment" in city infrastructure and said the blame is shared "across the board at every level" of government.
"We need a unified front to address these challenges," he said.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration in Mississippi amid the ongoing water crisis.
Biden authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help coordinate disaster relief efforts "which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population" and to assist in emergency measures to "save lives and to protect property and public health and safety" and to "lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in Hinds County."
President Biden has approved an emergency declaration request for the state of Mississippi, directing his team to surge Federal assistance to the region. We are committed to helping the people of Jackson and the state of Mississippi during this urgent time of need.
"FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency," according to the White House. "Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding for a period of 90 days."
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he was "grateful" for FEMA Director Deanne Criswell for their "long conversation" about the ongoing crisis.
FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg said the agency will remain in close communication with authorities in Mississippi.
Our federal disaster declaration for Jackson water has been approved. Grateful to @FEMA_Deanne for our long conversation about the crisis this evening, for she and Gracia and @femaregion4 team for their swift work, and the White House for ultimately granting the request.
City officials said Monday evening that Jackson's water shortage "is likely to last the next couple of days."
In a Monday evening update posted by the city's official Twitter account, officials sought to correct earlier reports of Jackson allegedly cutting water access to some of its residents, which the city said it is not doing.
Officials said the city is in contact with the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency to resolve "continued issues" with Jackson's water systems.
The water shortage is likely to last the next couple of days. Contrary to some reports, the City is NOT cutting off water to residents. The City remains in contact with the state Department of Health and the EPA over continued issues with the system.
In a separate update Monday evening, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said it is uncertain how long the water crisis in Jackson will last and that the state's emergency management agency and the National Guard will assist with water distribution efforts.
On Tuesday, the city announced its boil water advisory will remain in effect as water distribution efforts continue.
The city has encountered several problems with its water systems in the last couple of years that have caused repeated barriers to clean water access for Jackson residents. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba recently estimated that resolving issues with the city's water system could cost $200 million, an amount that the Associated Press reports exceeds funding the state is expected to receive as part of the infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last fall.
Mississippi's capital city remained under a boil water notice on Tuesday as city and state officials worked to distribute clean water to residents in need.
In its Tuesday announcement about the boil water advisory extension, city officials noted the advisory "does not mean that your water is unsafe" but that residents "must take precaution and boil your water before use."
To take the proper precautions, residents were instructed to bring water to a boil and keep it at a rolling boil for a full minute. The water can then be used for activities like "cooking or baking, making ice cubes, taking medication, brushing teeth, washing food, mixing baby formula, mixing juices or drinks, feeding pets, washing dishes and all other consumption," according to the Tuesday notice.
Mississippi's Emergency Management Agency also issued a reminder about how residents should and should not use their water while the boil water notice is in effect.
The city of Jackson continues to be under a boil water notice. DO NOT DRINK tap water or make ice from it. Brush teeth with boiled or bottled water. Do not give tap water to pets! Cook with bottled or boiled water. Wash dishes and produce with boiled or disinfected water. pic.twitter.com/A8KOIv2FiG
City officials have implemented multiple boil water notices in recent weeks in connection with issues at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, according to The Clarion Ledger. The latest advisory currently in effect is a result of flooding that impacted operations at the treatment plant.
State officials have said they are unsure how long the current water crisis impacting Jackson residents will last. In the meantime, officials are working to supply residents with water and provided an updated list of drinking water distribution sites on Tuesday, which is available on the city website. Water needed for cleaning or to flush toilets will be provided by tankers the city said it brought in for assistance.
City officials did not have an estimate for how long the boil water notice will remain in effect but said residents will be told once the precaution is no longer necessary.
Neighborhoods around the Pearl River in Jackson, MS were flooded Monday after heavy rainfall.
The flooding has exacerbated the ongoing water crisis in the city that is causing low-pressure problems.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said the National Guard will be called in to help state emergency authorities as they distribute drinking and non-drinking water to residents.
Hinds County Emergency Management Operations employees were working to check flood water levels Monday in areas near the Pearl River.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the Pearl River crested at about 35.4 feet, just short of the major flood state level.
While the water level is beginning to fall, the NWS station in Jackson, MS said the river will remain above flood stage through Thursday.
The Pearl River has crested at Jackson and is now slowly beginning to fall. Falls are also now occurring on local creeks in the city of Jackson. The river will still remain above flood stage at Jackson through Thursday, so continue to exercise precautions. pic.twitter.com/a3TxytuDCQ
The Mississippi National Guard will be assisting in efforts to distribute water to residents affected by the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi.
Officials with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said during a Monday evening press briefing that they asked Governor Tate Reeves to sign an executive order authorizing the National Guard to mobilize.
As of Monday evening, it was "unknown" how long residents would be without water, according to Reeves.
MEMA officials said the National Guard will be assisting in a similar way to how it has in the past when the state recovers from a hurricane passing through. The National Guard can "augment" the state's distribution efforts by bringing in additional personnel and vehicles, MEMA officials said.
Some colleges in Jackson, MS canceled on-campus classes amid the ongoing water crisis in the city.
Belhaven University canceled in-person classes Tuesday, shifting all instruction online. Administrators will also work from home.
University President Roger Parrott said water pressure has been lost in some parts of the campus and the university will provide portable toilets.
He said the campus is located "downhill" and the school keeps water running longer than other parts of town. But some buildings on campus reported no water Monday night.
"We will continue to distribute bottled water for drinking, and we will also be bringing in nonportable water that can be used for flushing toilets," Parrott said in a statement.
Jackson State University will also switch to virtual learning for the remainder of the week.
Non-essential employees will work remotely while all essential workers are asked to communicate with their supervisor regarding coverage and any questions or concerns.
Due to the City of Jackson's ongoing water pressure issues, Jackson State University is currently experiencing low to no water pressure at all campus locations. As a result, the University will ....... https://t.co/j0P3CgKhGa pic.twitter.com/aXFE7tBABh
"For students living in the residence halls, dining will resume in Heritage Dining Hall tomorrow morning," JSU said in a statement. "Retail located inside The Legacy will be closed until further notice. Water will be delivered to all residential halls. We are currently updating the open-access computer lab listing for students who do not have access to devices or WiFi."
This comes as JSU had to delay student move in earlier this month due to low water pressure in Jackson.
Update Regarding Jackson State University Move-In Days pic.twitter.com/zNijbSVgsx
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said the city of Jackson cannot produce enough water to meet "critical needs" across the city.
Due to issues at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, Reeves said the city does not have "reliable running water at scale."
"The city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets, and to meet other critical needs," he said during a press conference Monday night.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will help the state distribute drinking and non-drinking water to up to 180,000 people.
"Replacing our largest city's infrastructure of running water with human distribution is a massively complicated logistical task," he said, adding that this crisis will be ongoing for an "unknown period of time."
Reeves is urging residents to "stay safe" and avoid drinking the water.
"In too many cases, it is raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes," he said. "Be smart, protect yourself, protect your family, preserve water, look out for your fellow man and look out for your neighbors."
Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) announces a state of emergency in Jackson, MS, as the city’s 160,000+ residents will be without safe water for an “unknown period of time”: “The city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets, and to meet other critical needs.” pic.twitter.com/6pUaEGB9B5
All public schools in Jackson, MS will shift to virtual learning Tuesday due to water shortages throughout the city.
Jackson Public Schools (JPS) said the flooding from the Pearl River is creating problems at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant, causing a decrease in water production across the city.
"We are closely monitoring the water conditions on a day-by-day basis at our schools while conferring with city officials to determine when scholars and staff can safely return for in-person learning," Jackson Public Schools said in a statement.
Johnson thanks the JPS employees, parents and students for their patience and understanding during this "challenging time."
"We are continuously seeking the most recent information to make tough but informed decisions," the district statement said. "We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our scholars and staff while learning moves forward."
The district said this will remain an issue for the "next couple of days as they work to refill the tanks."
Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, August 30, ALL JPS schools will shift to virtual learning. #District1Direction #WeAreJPS READ MORE: https://t.co/vY3I348WMj pic.twitter.com/AEKnZyk6I7
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