May 10 Severe Storms: What You Need to Know
Photo courtesy of 16 WAPT News
Edited: Monday, May 13, 2024
A severe storm with gusting winds came through Jackson overnight on May 9 into the early morning hours of May 10. Mayor Chowke Antar Lumumba has declared a State of Emergency for the City of Jackson following the overnight storms.
According to the National Weather Service, the Jackson area experienced excessive rain and wind speeds between 60 and 70 miles per hour.
The severe weather caused widespread power outages Friday morning, including to the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, which resulted in low water pressure throughout the City and a boil-water alert for all surface water customers. Within hours, the water system was back to normal. Saturday morning, the precautionary boil water notice was lifted for the city.
According to the City of Jackson, the State of Emergency will be reviewed every seven days until the local emergency is no longer in effect.
JXN Water
A power outage at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant caused JXN Water to issue a boil-water notice on Friday morning. After power was restored Friday, production resumed and water pressure was back to normal in several hours. One day later, on Saturday morning, the Department of Health lifted the boil water notice after tests gave the all-clear.
Property Damage
If you reside in Hinds County and your home has been affected by the storm, or if you have downed trees, please report storm-related damage to the Hinds County Emergency Management office by calling 601-960-1476 or submit a damage report here. This survey aims to help state and local emergency management officials identify and understand damages during recent storms. Please submit one survey per impacted address. Reporting damages to Emergency Management is voluntary, not a substitute for reporting damage to your insurance agency, and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance.
Additionally, you can contact the Red Cross at 1-800-Red-Cross (1-800-733-2767) for assistance with storm-related issues and to learn more about available resources. Learn more about Red Cross resources here.
Jackson Public Schools
Due to widespread power outages and low water pressure throughout the city of Jackson that have impacted schools, all JPS schools were closed Friday, May 10. JPS has resumed normal school operations for Monday, May 13.
Entergy
If your power is currently out in the city of Jackson, you can call 1-800-968-8243 to report an outage and for outage updates. Updates are also available through text, by viewing the outage map online or through the Entergy app. Damage assessors, vegetation crews, line workers and support personnel have been dispatched and are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible through this event. Additional workers have been requested to assist in this restoration effort.
Damage assessment has begun and restoration times will be updated as they continue to identify damaged equipment.
As Entergy crews work to restore power, stay away from downed power lines and areas of debris. Report downed lines immediately at 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749).
After severe weather has passed, here are 4 ways to report an outage:
1.) Texting OUT to 36778
2.) Using the free Entergy app
3.) Reporting online here
4.) Calling 800-9-OUTAGE
Vulnerable Populations
Felicia Tripp, JAN’s Emergency Response Committee chair, wants residents to know that JAN is committed to keeping our communities informed and prepared during emergencies. She said it is important to take a moment to check on elderly family and neighbors after storms, especially those that depend on medical equipment like oxygen tanks.
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