UPDATE: President Biden approves Mississippi Emergency declaration. Read the press release here.
JACKSON, Miss. – Governor Tate Reeves has requested an Emergency Measures Declaration from President Biden for the City of Jackson water crisis. If declared, any eligible expenses paid for by the state could be eligible for federal reimbursement.
Under the requested Emergency Declaration, FEMA would be authorized to provide emergency measures, including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program at 75 percent federal funding.
This request is a result of the City of Jackson’s O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant failure to produce water for almost 180,000 dependent citizens. Both primary pumps are broken and are currently being serviced. The plant is not producing adequate water pressure, and some residents are experiencing outages. The water treatment plant provides water to the City of Jackson, City of Byram, two major hospitals, multiple dialysis clinics, long-term care facilities, Jackson Public School District, numerous restaurants, daycares, and more.
The request for an Emergency Measures Declaration can be read here.
The Governor’s State of Emergency can be read here.