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Mississippi Failed its Residents During a Crisis, So They Helped Themselves
A volunteer grabs a gallon of water at a water and food distribution drive held by College Hill Baptist Church and the World Central Kitchen on March 7, 2021, in Jackson, Mississippi.
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
When a winter storm knocked out water service to tens of thousands of Mississippi residents, it was Black families that were hit hardest and who organized their own relief efforts.
For Rukia Lumumba, this time was different.
502 4 minutes read
After weeks of city-wide shut offs, water has been restored in Jackson, Mississippi. However, most of the city is still under a precautionary boil water notice until the water is tested and determined to be safe for consumption. Residents rightly continue to be skeptical of using the water for cooking, washing, bathing. There are still areas of the city with low water pressure a problem being attributed to their distance from water-treatment facilities.
The boil-water notice and low water pressure point to long-standing infrastructural problems in the Blackest city in the Blackest state in the country.
Jackson’s acute water crisis began with a snowstorm during the week of Feb. 15. During the storm, almost all of Jackson was without water. The freezing temperatures caused many of the city’s aging pipes to burst and the main water-treatment plant became inoperable. Parts of the city’s water system are over 100 years old. Thousands of lives came to a
‘There’s no excuse for this’: thousands in Mississippi city still without water weeks after storms Oliver Laughland in Jackson, Mississippi
As the sound of rainwater droplets crescendoed around him, Rodrick Readus stood by his front door and took a moment to reflect on the many indignities of the past fortnight.
“It’s just the simple fact you can’t wash your hands,” he said. “You can’t take a bath. Every time I touch something I know I’m not clean.”
Like every other resident in his two-story apartment complex, Readus has been without running water since mid-February, when Jackson, Mississippi’s state capital, was lashed by two back-to-back winter storms. They crippled the city’s ailing water infrastructure and left thousands of residents now entering their third week without flowing pipes. While most national and international attention has focused on the aftermath of the storms in Texas, Mississippi has been largely ignored.
There s no excuse for this : thousands in Mississippi city still without water weeks after storms | Water theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tens of Thousands of Jackson, Mississippi Residents Still Without Water
“I am begging the national media to please pay attention. There is a crisis happening in Jackson.” - Angie Thomas, New York Times bestselling author Mark Ralston
Thousands of residents in the predominately Black city of Jackson, Mississippi have gone without running water for nearly two weeks after an icy winter storm swept through the deep South, knocking out power and water in some areas. Jackson is currently under a boil water alert, which means most residents are struggling to find ways to bathe, cook and use the bathroom.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumb said it’s unclear when power and running water will be restored for all residents. “This is one of the unfortunate facts that I have to deliver,” he told The Associated Press. “But I owe you honesty and I owe you truth so we can manage how we prepare.”