What you need to know:
• On Aug. 30, heavy rainfall caused Mississippi's Pearl River to overflow and flood nearby cities.
• The flooding forced water treatment operations at the state's O.B. Curtis Water Plant to stop, which resulted in a water shortage all throughout the city of Jackson.
• The shortage left 150,000 residents were left without water, including students who attend Jackson State University.
• The handling of the situation so far has drawn comparisons to Flint, Michigan's water crisis in 2014.
How we got here:
• In 2019, a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that towns where the safety standards for drinking water were often violated or lax were 40% more likely to consist of communities of color.
• According to the US Water Alliance, in 1977 the U.S. set aside 63% of its federal funding for water infrastructure. Today, that number has fallen to less than 10%.
• The neglect both cities have suffered from is a result of "white flight", the post-segregational movement which saw white Americans purposefully leaving areas that were becoming more diverse. As white people left, so did the funding.
What's happening now:
• As of Sunday, water pressure has been restored to residents of Jackson, but they are still urged to boil water before use.
• As recovery efforts continue and the situation begins to stabilize, the threat of inclement weather and obsolete infrastructure loom.
What locals are saying:
• Citizens are not only outraged at the crisis because they need the water, but because this isn't the first time they've experienced a shortage.
• To add insult to injury, residents are still receiving water bills.
In this episode, listen as we spoke to Jackson locals to learn about the community's water challenges before the current crisis, as well as how it could stunt the city’s future growth.