Up to 180,000 people living in Mississippi’s capital city will be affected by a running water shortage for an unclear amount of time, city and state officials said Monday night. Overwhelmed by complications created by heavy rainfall and flooding, the main pumps at Jackson’s main water treatment facility have been heavily damaged. The facility is expected to provide “low or no water pressure” to residents for at least the next few days, according to a city news release. “Please stay safe,” said Gov. Tate Reeves, who on Monday was in the process of declaring a state of emergency in Jackson. “Do not drink the water. In too many cases, it is raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes.” Reeves said the city was not producing enough water to “fight fires, to flush toilets, and to meet other critical needs,” and that the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency was mobilizing to distribute water to residents. No timeline was shared on repairs to the water treatment plant.
