After more than two weeks without clean running water, Katasha Johnson saw a slow drip from a tap at his home on the west side of Jackson, Mississippi, on Tuesday.
But the brown drip did not seem a relief to Johnson, 38, who lost water after consecutive winter storms hit the city and its century-old water infrastructure last month.
“It’s not enough to do anything and it doesn’t even feel safe,” said Johnson, a mother of 9, 6 and 3-year-olds.
Instead, Johnson and her fiance are using melted snow and rainwater stored in four large refrigerators to flush. To wash dishes and hands, Johnson boils pots of water taken from a bathtub that was pre-filled when water was available.
“It has been absolutely horrible to live like this,” she said.
Jackson entered the third week of a crisis that left much of the city without water, as low temperatures devastated much of the south. Community leaders say the disaster is not unique and that it has raised long-standing issues of systemic collapse and neglect.
Weeks after the storm, the city remains under boiling water alert, and residents are being urged to save water and reduce consumption as much as possible. Residents have been lining up at several locations that distribute non-potable water or flush water throughout the city. Many say they were refused after supplies ran out.
Jackson reported 96 major water breaks and leaks, 53 of which have been repaired, the mayor’s office said in a statement.
“Today we’ve seen the pressure stay around 83 to 85 psi. That’s good, but in the end, we need to get to 90 psi and stay there consistently so that water is restored for everyone. This is an old system and we’re using day to day while recharging, “said the statement.
More than half of the city’s schools are closed because of the water crisis; only 19 of the nearly 50 public schools have reopened.
While it is still unclear how many residents are without water, community leaders, like state deputy Ronnie Crudup, say there are at least 40,000.
Crudup has been without water for 16 days. He lives with his wife and two grandchildren, aged 9 and 10, in the hardest hit part of town, in South Jackson.
“We cannot shower, we cannot cook, we cannot wash dishes, we cannot wash clothes. It is tremendously difficult, ”he said.
Crudup said the city’s infrastructure was already fragile and that the crisis highlighted the ease with which it can break.
“Infrastructure has been a historic problem and for years, each government has continued to kick it in the future,” he said. “This is an old problem, but now we are paying a heavy price for this neglect.”
Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women Roundtable and co-founder of the Mississippi Women’s Economic Security Initiative, a local nonprofit organization, said the water crisis has highlighted a number of underlying issues that have long plagued the community .
“This was the collapse of a system that should be in place for the safety of our citizens,” she said. “This water crisis has really exacerbated a system that has never really worked for the poor, blacks, the elderly, for so many people.”
Jackson’s population is more than 80 percent black.
Welchlin said the government hasn’t invested in Jackson’s infrastructure in a long time.
“All of this is interconnected. Because of the water crisis, some families missed a week’s pay because many people were unable to work. Teachers were unable to teach because they had no internet connection. They had no energy. Many people were unable to provide it, so this is a much bigger problem than many people can see, “she said.
Welchlin and Crudup said that state and federal intervention is needed to fully address not just infrastructure, but all underlying issues related to the crisis.
In the meantime, several groups have stepped up to help community members. The Mississippi Women’s Economic Security Initiative and other local organizations coordinated supplies, water and services for needy residents. They donated gift cards for food and bills and provided water trucks, as well as delivering boxes of bottled water.
But many residents have also had to dive into their own pockets. Kehinde Gaynor, 42, has had to rent three hotel rooms in the past two weeks to give his wife and three children a place with clean water to bathe and wash.
Many residents had to do this, he said, and expenses increased very quickly.
“Not having water is nothing new for us. We have lost it before, but never for so long,” he said. “It’s affecting all parts of our lives and it looks to me like we’re going to be the next Flint, Michigan.”
Bracey Harris contributed.