Nearly 200,000 people in and around Jackson, Mississippi will lose running water for an unknown amount of time while the city utility had to swap out the main pump at the city’s main water treatment plant, ABC News reports.
Over the past three days, massive rainfall swelled the Pearl River, which crested Monday morning at 35 feet, well above the “major flood” stage of 26 feet. The flooding waters inundated the riverside water pumping station, knocking out the main pump. The city will switch to less powerful and less reliable backup systems to try to provide some water to residents until the main pump is replaced, which could take as little as two days, but the city is not providing a specific schedule.
Republican Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves was informed Friday that the expected flooding would likely knock out water service. He pledged to have potable and non-potable water available to residents, and he intended to declare a state of emergency to assist residents.