As the saltwater wedging in the lower Mississippi River inches closer to the New Orleans area, local officials are urging residents not to panic. In fact, officials are working with local stores to make sure there will be enough drinking water available when the need for it arises.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee-Shang met with stores and their distributors to make sure there's enough water to go around if and when the saltwater wedge makes tap water undrinkable. Lee-Sheng says with more than 800,000 residents in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes combined, stores will need to have lots of water on hand in the event the saltwater wedge impacts the local water supply.
"When this thing approaches us, and it starts going to Algiers, the need for water increases exponentially," Lee-Sheng said to WWL-TV. "(We need) For them to be ready. For them to discuss with their supply chains (and) make sure they're ready to flex up, volume up, however you want to say it, very, very quickly."
While Lee-Sheng says this is an isolated incident unlike a hurricane, stores still need to be ready for the demand for water they'll soon face.
"They play a key role in this for us to keep people calm and making sure that we always have availability of water," Lee-Sheng said. "Even Sunday, the grocery stores locally here started putting a lot of water at the front of the store."
According to Lee-Sheng, local stores will play a critical role in keeping panic at bay.
"Every time somebody goes in a store that has reasonably-price (and) lots of water, it's the best thing to keep people calm. So I really don't have a concern. This is not like a storm where the entire Gulf Coast is trying to get fuel and water. This is an isolated incident in Louisiana.
