Disasters & Accidents

US president declares emergency in Mississippi over water crisis

Washington DC, Aug 30 (EFE).- United States President Joe Biden declared Tuesday an emergency in the state of Mississippi over a water crisis after a water pump failed following several days of heavy rains.

Biden also ordered the dispatch of federal aid to the more than 150,000 people in the vicinity of the state capital of Jackson, who are without access to drinking water.

The White House said in a statement that Biden’s order requires the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all federal aid and identify, mobilize and provide material and resources to alleviate the impact of the crisis.

The development comes after Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced in a press conference Tuesday that he had asked President Biden to declare a federal emergency in Jackson.

State National Guard reserves are currently doing their best to distribute bottled water in Jackson.

Jackson’s potable water system has been in crisis for years due to lack of resources to renovate its infrastructure, but the situation worsened this month with torrential rains in the city and other locations in the center of the state.

These rains caused a rise in the level of the Pearl River, and led to failure at one of Jackson’s two water treatment plants, which supplies much of the city’s water.

Due to the water crisis, Jackson’s residents cannot use tap water for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth.

Authorities have offered no information on when the water crisis is expected to be resolved. EFE

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