Eighty percent of Jackson, Mississippi residents are Black, and they remain under a systemwide order to boil water since the storm.
What We Know:
- National and international attention has focused on the aftermath of how badly winter storm Uri had hit Texas, while the effects in Mississippi have been less reported on. Celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion, Marron 5, Taraji P. Henson are helping to restore the people that were affected in Texas but there hasn’t been much support for Mississippi. Officials say 5,000 people are still without water weeks after the storm. A recent tweet from March 4 on Twitter states that there are still people without water.
Please keep the people of Texas and Louisiana and Mississippi in your hearts. There are still many without water. We still have friends coming over to our house to take showers. Every plumber has a long waiting list.
— Judy Wu Dominick 吳曉青 (@judydominick) March 4, 2021
- The Water System Administration announced it would offer residents a chance to have their bills adjusted if storm damage caused a lack of water or broken pipes.
- In an attempt to combat the lack of water, buckets, jugs, bottles, and plastic tray litters have been placed under the gutters to capture rainwater to be used. The Guardian states the cold led to at least 96 breakages in the city’s aging pipes, which, combined with power outages, lead to catastrophically low pressure throughout its water system. Low pressure in faucets has made it difficult to shower, wash dishes, or even have safe drinking water.
- In addition to the lack of water, an interview with USAToday mentioned that testing revealed the water contains high levels of turbidity or cloudiness, which increases the chance it may have disease-causing organisms.
- Tate Reeves, Governor of Mississippi, has requested about $47 million in emergency funding from the state and the federal government to cover a wide range of projects relating to water system infrastructure.
Hopefully, Mississippi is able to replace the decaying infrastructure in the communities soon to combat the rising concerns.
