Freezing temperatures across the deep south are threatening dozens of water systems, freezing and breaking pipes.
Breakdowns in infrastructure arose in rapid succession after days of freezing temperatures in areas where extended periods of frigid weather are abnormal.
According to the Associated Press, in Jackson, Mississippi, where the water system partially collapsed in late August due to repeated weather-related breakdowns, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the city is dealing with a “worst-case scenario” on Tuesday.
Lumumba declared a local state of emergency Monday evening as Jackson’s troubled water system failed to produce adequate pressure because of broken and leaking pipes. Crews have spent days working to identify leaks, but city officials said pressure remains low or nonexistent.
The Environmental Protection Agency is assisting with the effort to repair broken water lines, Lumumba said.
Jackson resident, Tekemia Bennett said she hasn’t had any water since Friday. She and her four children woke up with no water on Christmas day. “Christmas was very much like the Grinch came and stole it. I could not cook for my children. It was more like we were in survival mode,” Bennett said.
In Shreveport, Louisiana, some residents had no water Monday, while in Selma, Alabama, the mayor declared a state of emergency because the city worried it would run out of water. Workers at a food bank in Greenville, S.C., opened their doors to a rush of water and were trying to save $1 million in food, reports NPR.org.
Dozens of water systems across the south either had boil advisories in place because of the low pressure or warned of bigger catastrophes if leaks from broken pipes weren’t found and water shut off.
The culprit in this water crisis was temperatures that dropped below freezing Thursday or early Friday and have remained below freezing. Water expands when it freezes, bursting pipes that aren’t protected. Then when the temperature rises, those broken pipes start leaking hundreds or thousands of gallons of water.
Because many businesses were closed over the Christmas holiday weekend, leaks can go undetected for several days.
Charleston, South Carolina, water system spokesman Mike Saia said Charleston was on the verge of a boil water requirement for its hundreds of thousands of customers that could close restaurants and other businesses.
In Kentucky, the Meade County Water District asked its 5,000 customers to conserve water. But then it said in a statement that because of the cold temperatures and increased demand, it was unable to keep up and would temporarily cut off service to some areas so that tanks could refill.
Slowly, but surely, the temperatures are moderating and water system officials are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Temperatures this week should be closer to normal.
