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Freezing temperatures have caused pipes to burst and left thousands of Jackson, Mississippi residents without water over the holiday weekend, again highlighting the challenges of the city's deteriorating water system.
On Monday (December 26), Jackson officials said there were “significant leaks in the system that we have yet to identify” following a winter storm that hit the city, per NBC News. Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Mississippi's capital, blamed the city's latest water challenges on the “drastic temperatures," which dropped to a low of 11 degrees on Thursday (December 22), and said crews were working to restore pressure.
A boil water notice was issued on Sunday (December 25) as the city asked its residents to turn off faucets and check businesses for leaks and broken pipes.
“There’s no water pressure for most residents in Jackson, again,” state Rep. Ronnie Crudup confirmed Monday. “During this holiday season, it’s a different struggle because people have family, guests, and everything else for Christmas, and there is no water.”
Emon Thompson, a Jackson resident of 33 years, said his family was forced to cancel on guests who intended to visit on Christmas.
“If you let it, it becomes depressing, especially during the holiday season,” Thompson said. “I’m trying to keep my head up and just doing a lot of cleaning and other things.”
But this is just the latest challenge to hit the city's beleaguered water system. Over the summer, Jackson residents lost water due to flooding in the Pearl river that shut down the city's main water treatment facility.
“It’s just a frustrating, difficult situation that we’re having to go through again and again,” Crudup said.
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