Southern exposure: Cold wreaks havoc on aging waterworks
February 25, 2021 10:32AM AKST
A water bucket is filled as others wait in near freezing temperatures to use a hose from public park spigot Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Houston. Houston and several surrounding cities are under a boil water notice as many residents are still without running water in their homes. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
By MELINDA DESLATTE and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The snow and ice that crippled some states across the South has melted, but it has exposed the fragility of aging waterworks that experts have been warning about for years. Cities across Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi are still grappling with outages that crippled health care facilities and forced families to wait in line for potable water. Mississippi’s capital of Jackson is struggling to repair its water grid. Residents of Memphis, Tennessee, have been told for nearly a week to boil water if they plan to use it for drinking, cooking and brushing their teeth. More than 40,000 Louisianans still had water outages.
