A cold front is expected to hit the state Thursday night, with lows projected to go into the teens. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba held a press briefing Monday to address the upcoming weather, saying that while much work has been done, damage to the city's water system was still possible and Mississippians need to be prepared.
He also referenced the ice storm of February 2021, saying that the city is "not unfamiliar" with the dangers of freezing weather.
"I do believe that we have made some improvements," Lumumba said. "but we are in no position to promise that sustained arctic temperatures cannot have a significant impact on our water treatment facility."
The system did not fare well last year when Jackson saw below freezing weather for a prolonged period, as some citizens went without water for up to a week. Ted Henifin is the third-party administrator the U.S. Department of Justice has appointed to help fix the city's water system. He says engineers are on-site at the plants and preventive measures have been taken, but the water pipes throughout the city are also a major concern.
"We haven’t really replaced hundreds of miles of piping that’s all susceptible," Henifin said. "I’ve harped on the small- diameter piping now on probably every public meeting and press conference I’ve been at. With a hundred miles of two-inch galvanized pipe that’s not very deep, that’s gonna be the area that we’re likely to see issues."
The mayor also said that shelters would be available and that road travel needed to be limited. Lacey Alexander, MPB news.
