The mayor of Jackson, Mississippi warned the city’s residents to leave the area as soon as possible as heavy rain continue to hit the region, pushing the Pearl River to crest at some point over the next two days, CNN reports.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said during a CNN interview, “Unfortunately because we have seen these events as recently as 2020, we have a reference point, and we know the damage that can occur. If we risk the life of one individual, that’s one individual too many. Our residents have been inundated with persistent rain over the last few days.”
The Pearl River enters “major flood” stage at 26 feet. With more rain in the forecast through Tuesday, the river is expected to peak at 36 feet sometime Monday morning, but the volume of rain, which is really wet from the standpoint of water, will inundate the city. Lumumba said that as many as 150 homes will be flooded by Sunday night, with various areas of the city likely to be impacted over the following 48 hours.