Jackson Mississippi is still struggling during their water crisis. The failed infrastructure left thousands of citizens without clean water and now residents are suing.
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This crisis is devastating.
ABC News Reports. A class action lawsuit has been filed by residents of Jackson, Mississippi, as it continues to recover from its summer water crisis. It alleges former and current city officials, as well as infrastructure engineering companies, neglected or worsened a “foreseeable” public health crisis, according to the complaint filed.
Raine Becker, one of four plaintiffs in the lawsuit, told ABC News she was unaware of the ongoing water issues when she moved to Jackson two years ago. The first time Becker experienced these problems was in 2021, when two weeks were spent without water due to winter storms.
A failing water treatment plant left Becker with low water pressure and contaminated Jackson’s water supply, leaving her wondering how she would pay her bills and take care of her terminally ill son.
According to Becker, her son, born with a heart defect and suffering from terminal liver disease, has a feeding tube that must be flushed with sanitary water. The use of contaminated water could be fatal, she said.
In their complaint, the plaintiffs seek damages and relief, including regular water testing, the removal of contaminated pipes, the cancellation of bills and debts for contaminated or undelivered water, and the establishment of community health centers for those who have been affected by contaminated water.
On Sept. 15, Mississippi ended its boil water notice for Jacksonians after days of a water shortage crisis that impacted thousands of Jacksonians. ABC has more.
It is expected that the House Appropriations Committee will send up to $200 million to address the drinking water crisis in Jackson, Miss., as part of the stop-gap spending measure to fund the government beyond Sept. 30.
According to documents obtained by POLITICO, the money would be handed directly from EPA to the city, bypassing the Republican-controlled state government. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has accused the state of withholding resources from the majority-Black state capital.
According to a 2020 EPA review, Jackson’s water system, built in 1914, is in dire need of repair. It is unclear how much it will cost to upgrade, but estimates range from $1 billion to $2 billion. A long-term plan for solving the city’s problems has not been developed. In the absence of a plan, Thompson said $200 million appears reasonable.
This water crisis shortage is devastating the people of Jackson Mississippi and we are praying for them. The crisis should have never occurred but we are thankful that a plan is in place to get citizens the funds they need until a long term plan is developed.
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