It is now day four of the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis, and there doesn’t seem to be an immediate end in sight. While 600 Mississippi national guardsmen are set to be deployed today to help with water distribution, there is no timetable on when the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant water pumps will be fixed. Residents are being told that the cloudy water from their faucets is not consumable to drink or cook with, but they can use it to shower (as long as they don’t consume the water) and wash their hands. Businesses, Jackson State University, and public schools are all feeling the fallout of years of systematic failure in the predominately Black city.
As Insider notes, the Jackson Teacher’s Association is extremely concerned about the state of the city during this time. All Jackson Public School District schools transitioned to virtual learning on Tuesday. Still, union President George Stewart feels “this is a time where students can become displaced,” making them less likely to participate in school. Stewart also spoke about how the water crisis can snowball into all parts of civilian life. Parents are having difficulty finding childcare, and the Teachers Association is having trouble ensuring students have wi-fi.
Citizens have had to endure long lines to get bottled water and non-drinking water at distribution sites. Some sites this week ran out of water and turned people away. Stewart estimated that his family spent “maybe about $100 to $200" on bottled water for his family to use to drink and brush their teeth since the boil water notice took effect in late July.
Mega sites distributing water should be opened today, and NBC WLBT 3 points out Jackson received an emergency rental pump from Florida, which is expected to supply an additional four million gallons of water daily.