Jackson water crisis shuts down schools and businesses; residents urged to shower with closed mouths

Officials in Jackson, Mississippi, warned residents this week to shower with their mouths closed, as the area struggles with unsafe tap water after a major storm last week that damaged a pump at a water treatment plant.

Since the storm, area businesses and schools have been forced to shut down, as there is no running water at all in many cases, and no safe drinking water available. Video shared with CNN by Jackson residents shows bathtubs filled with brown water that is so unsafe even boiling it does not make people feel safe using it for consumption.

Mississippi Department of Health senior deputy and director of health protection, Jim Craig, put out an announcement on Wednesday warning those in the area not to drink the tap water, or use it for brushing their teeth. “Please make sure in the shower that your mouth’s not open,” Craig said, before warning residents to keep their pets away from the unsafe water as well. 

Jackson locals have waited in line for hours to get bottled water to use for cooking, drinking, bathing, and brushing their teeth since the water crisis came to a head last week. The National Guard has been deployed to assist with the situation and a rented water pump has been installed to try and get the treatment plant back up and running. President Joe Biden declared a federal state of emergency in the Jackson area on Wednesday.

Prior to last week’s storm, area residents had been under a boil water notice as the already-insufficient water treatment systems struggled to deliver clean water.