Is raw water really flowing through the pipes in Jackson? While Mayor Lumumba has said for the better part of two years that the drinking water system is in a constant state of emergency and that the city does not have the funds to fix it, Jackson has begun to use new federal funds on a number of projects to improve the system, such as building a new distribution line to alleviate pressure issues, as well as weatherizing the O.B.Curtis plant to help prevent shutdowns like what Jackson saw after the winter storms in 2021. The Mississippi National Guard was stationed at seven locations around the city, which was later pared down to four. Residents say while they appreciate the city handing out free bottled water, they want a permanent solution. She could afford a car, but she's waiting first to see if she wants to remain in Jackson or follow her daughter to Texas. hide caption. Williams kept her tub filled with water in case she needed it to flush the toilet. We were told of a specific filter that is approved and has a certain grade in terms of what it is able to filter out within water systems," Lumumba said. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Booker Ellis, an employee at the Mississippi Industries for the Blind and Walter Houston, a Salvation Army employee, unload water donated by the Salvation Army in Jackson. But the page does not specify what the donated funds are used for. Dr. Hyunseok Hwang, an assistant professor who studies nonprofit management and community resource mobilization at the University of Houston, said the Jackson city government's approach of accepting crisis-response donations through a separate foundation -- instead of by direct contributions to the city, a task force, or nonprofit groups like United Way -- is not the traditional way of conducting business. JACKSON, Miss. "During the Mississippi water crisis in October 2022, we donated $99,000 to the Central Mississippi Growth Foundation to provide water filters to members of the community in need," said a statement provided to ABC News by UnitedHealth Group spokesperson Christina Witz. . Submitting your email address signs you up for our daily newsletter The Today. Find a list of addresses here. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Leslie Gamboni for NPR Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. (WJTV) - JXN Water will host a series of events on Thursday, March 2 to help Jacksonians apply for a new water debt relief program. Bottled water will be distributed at the following locations on Thursday, March 11th from 3 p.m. until depleted: Anderson United Methodist Church - 6205 Hanging Moss Road, Jackson, MS 39206. JACKSON, Miss. With crisis after crisis plaguing the water infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi, the city government has, for months, included a message on its website's water information page explaining where people can send private donation checks if they want to help. I believe that when requests are made, then they will remit a check for those requests.". Continued Volunteers distribute cases of water at a community/fraternal drive-thru water distribution site in Jackson, Mississippi, Sept. 7, 2022. Thousands of Jackson residents have no or little water pressure, and though local, state and federal officials are working to restore reliable service, they cannot yet say when that will happen. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. "I just want to leave," Day said. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Sale Trees: A variety of Apple, Plum & Peach . JACKSON, Miss. by Alex Rozier November 8, 2022. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 18, 2021 CITY OF JACKSON WATER DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS (JACKSON, MS) - The City of Jackson has arranged for water distribution at the following locations: POTABLE (DRINKING) WATER DISTRIBUTION Available now: Smith Wills Stadium - 1200 Lakeland Dr. Metrocenter Mall - 3645 US-80 Will O Wood Community Center - 229 Lake Cove Continued The short-term solution to the water problem in Jackson . The Citys Department of Constituent Services is helping to coordinate offers of support and can be reached at 601-960-2324 or 601-960-1835. Jan. 17, 2023, 9:10 PM UTC. The City of Jackson in cooperation with the Citys Interim Third-Party Administrator, Ted Henifin, JXN Water and Promise is excited to announce some long overdue and equitable relief for Jackson residents struggling with their water bills. STATE FAIRGROUNDS, Miss. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. Reeves said Tuesday it was impossible to say how many of the roughly 160,000 people served by the system are without water that it depends on how close one is to a water tank, elevation and numerous other factors. Local Mississippi Breaking News Story from CBS 12 New WJTV, your Jackson, MS news leader JACKSON, Miss. The water problems in Jackson date back years, but 2022 and the beginning of 2023 have seen residents of Mississippi's largest city suffer from multiple incidents in a row. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. She did not say whether the company is aware that the funds have not been used or whether they were aware of any timetable for providing water filters to residents. All rights reserved. "The people who are looking and trying to identify a vendor are also endeavoring to do other efforts and aims of recovery, and so that's not the thing that they're exclusively working on -- so no, a vendor has not been selected," the mayor said, adding that there are challenges in finding a stockpile of filters. ( WJTV) - One Jackson City Councilman said he has not received full disclosure on the People's Relief Campaign, the water bill relief . hide caption. "As this boil-water notice is lifted, our water distribution will go away," Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Stephen McRaney said. (WJTV) One Jackson City Councilman said he has not received full disclosure on the Peoples Relief Campaign, the water bill relief program that rolled out on Thursday. The Community Foundation for Mississippi has compiled a helpful resource page that includes information about how to give to organizations working to help Jacksonians. following organizations: Whoops! Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba later said this was inaccurate, and officials later clarified it is more accurate to say the water has not been optimally treated and is still not safe to drink. Apartments in the Lone Star State are pricier, but Jackson's constant water problems are pushing her toward moving. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. 1200 Lakeland Dr. Jackson, MS. Davis Road Park. Among the many generous donors that have made this Citywide Water Giveaway and other previous water distributions possible are: T-Mobile, Waitr, Clark Beverage, the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans Organization, the City of Birmingham, Alabama, the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, First Baptist of Jackson, Mississippi, Red House Memorial Chapel, Community Outreach Service Leake County, Inc., Disaster Ministry Committee of the Southern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and more. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said on Monday that flooding from the Pearl River forced plant operators to change how they were treating the water, and that the whole city could see low water pressure as a result. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Mississippi State Department of Health recommends Jacksonians boil water vigorously for one minute and let cool before consuming. On Thursday, she was down to half a case of bottled water in an apartment with three adults and two young kids. - The Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition will distribute bottled water daily at the following times and locations: 5 p.m. Monday - Friday South Jackson Sykes Community Center, 520 Sykes Rd. We appreciate your decision to be a positive influence in these challenging times.". (WLBT) - Residents can get bottled water at these sites on Thursday, December 29: Metrocenter Mall near the old Dillard's loading dock - 2 p.m. Candlestick Park, Cooper Road - 5 p.m. Near Smilow Prep, corner of Northside Drive and Manhattan Road - 5 p.m. Walter Houston unloads a case of water bottles donated in Jackson, Miss., by the Salvation Army to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind. Vergy P. Middleton Community Center - 3971 Flag Chapel Rd., Jackson, MS 39213. How do you give sensitive information to strangers? Molina Healthcare of Mississippi employees and members of Omega Psi Phi's Upsilon Epsilon and Beta Alpha chapters teamed with American Red Cross to distribute water, ice and cleaning kits to Jackson residents on Harrow Drive in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday . This week, the coalition expects to ramp up the home deliveries. Im thinking its all right to cook with it.. The official home of Pepsi. (WJTV) JXN Water will host a series of events on Thursday, March 2 to help Jacksonians apply for a new water debt relief program. All rights reserved. Metrocenter Mall near the old Dillards loading dock - 2 p.m. Near Smilow Prep, corner of Northside Drive and Manhattan Road - 5 p.m. Man in critical condition after drive-by shooting in Jackson, Former wrestler tied to TANF scandal pleads guilty to conspiracy in federal court, 42K Mississippians without power after strong winds cause outages, Silver Alert issued for 83-year-old Rankin Co. woman, HPD investigating report of shooting at Turtle Creek Mall, Total loss: Fire breaks out at Jackson house; dog dead, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit. "The main thing we need, it's a struggle to get right now," Williams said. The fairgrounds is currently serving as an emergency State Staging Area (SSA) and serving as one of seven public . "We have gotten to the point of tying a bag over the faucet to remind you not to use it," said Glenda Barner, a 70-year-old Jackson resident who owns a small business in the city. Having hobbies and interests outside of the workplace allows you to explore . "It has not been touched.". Feds flagged dire Jackson water problems a month before the system failed, has said for the better part of two years, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. . To qualify for the debt relief, residents and business owners must have water or wastewater services in Jackson, have a past-due balance from before December 1, 2022, and believe theyhave an inaccurate or have yet to receive a bill. Central Mississippi Health Services had been holding water giveaways for residents about two times a month since February 2021, when a winter storm left Jackson without water for weeks. Jackson residents can find more information about the program on the Citys social media page and the, If residents were unable to apply for assistance at any of the nine locations set up to help, they can call 601-374-5787 for more information or apply online at, Robert Lee named interim Director of Public Works, Applications open for Mayors Summer Youth Employment Program, City of Jackson, Express Employment job fair Feb. 9. Updated: Mar 3, 2023 / 04:15 PM CST. Tate Reeves told the media this week, "I do think it's really important that the City of Jackson start collecting their water bill . . "We're going to need clean water from somewhere outside of the pipes.". Anissa "Big Sexyy" Hampton at FJC! The Salvation Army was one of many distributing food and water Thursday in Jackson. Success! State, local and even federal officials are in talks of more permanent solutions. (JACKSON, MS) Today, the City of Jackson released details of its Citywide Water Giveaway to be held at eight different locations across the City on Thursday, March 11th beginning at 3 p.m. until water is depleted. Its water system includes more than 71,000 water connections and supplies water over about 150 square miles of territory, including the city of Jackson, the city of Byram, various other locations in Hinds County, and an automobile factory near Canton.In addition to Jackson, the municipal sewer system . Jackson has dealt with boil water notices for decades, so the nonprofits are used to home water deliveries. At a press conference on Thursday, officials with JXN Water said any funding given out will not have to be paid back. 2300 Davis Road. What are state and city leaders doing to fix this? She has appeared on MSNBC, NPR, and BBC Newsday Radio to discuss her reporting. Residents were . Andrew Jennings, a Salvation Army employee, signals the driver of a truck filled with water for distribution into the parking lot of an apartment complex in Jackson. This content is for decoration only skip decoration. Jackson, MS 39201 (601)948-3333; Public Inspection File . "Gas costs. This is not a sprint in any regard for the City of Jackson," Lumumba said. Get the latest updates on the Jackson water crisis. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. JACKSON, Miss. The Mississippi Rapid Response Coalition will distribute bottled water daily at the following times and locations: Oak Forest Community Center, 2827 Oak Forest Dr. IAJE Community Center, 406 W. Fortification St. Grove Park Community Center, 4126 Parkway Ave. Officials with JXN . Water pressure has now been mostly restored in Jackson. You're on the list. Booker Ellis, an employee at the Mississippi Industries for the Blind and Walter Houston, a Salvation Army employee, unload water donated by the Salvation Army in Jackson. The drinking water system in Jackson Mississippis largest city and home to more than 160,000 residents is failing, state officials announced on Monday. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said it is safe to use unboiled water for baths and showers as well as washing hands and clothes, but people should avoid letting water get in their mouths. This post will be updated. Leslie Gamboni for NPR Councilman Stokes concerned over water bill debt relief program. JACKSON, Miss. Location - 110 Northgate Rd, Natchez, MS. All 4 Children Consignment. Sports . Weather. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using. Beginning Thursday, Jackson residents have been given the opportunity to apply for debt relief from their bills as part of the Peoples Relief Campaign. Since Monday, many homes in Jackson have seen lower or no water pressure, and state and city officials have instructed the city not to consume the water without boiling it first. Non-potable water is available at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Witz did not answer additional questions submitted by ABC News. Wash my hands? (WJTV) - The City of Jackson held another water giveaway. Across Jackson, the . Recent flooding in Jackson, Miss., has caused mass disruptions at the city's O.B. Michelle Hartfield, a public information officer for the Salvation Army, takes notes while Booker Ellis, Chris Bonham and Walter Houston unload water donated by the Salvation Army to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind on Thursday. More than 100 pallets of bottled water will be distributed to Jackson residents in the one-day event that has been made possible with the help of many generous donations from individuals, organizations, the business community, other cities and more.