One Million Louisiana Residents Have Lost Access to Clean Water
This iced-over, Jack Frost-on-steroids winter storm business is for the birds. The icy grip of Mother Nature has tightened around the south, and we are ill-prepared for it. Roads are shut down all over the place, rolling blackouts are making it difficult for a lot of folks to heat their homes and cook their food, the grocery stores are out of pretty much everything - but that doesn't matter because driving to the store is virtually impossible unless you're the proud owner of a Sherman tank!
On top of all of that winter woe, water utilities across the state are struggling or outright failing due to frozen lines and busted water mains. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards spoke today on the issue of access to clean water for residents of the state. According to Edwards, 98 water systems across the state have failed - leaving 245,000 with completely dry taps. On top of that, the amount of boil notices issued in cities and municipalities in the Bayou State is overwhelming - according to the Hill, around one million people in this state can't trust the water coming out of the tap.
To battle this water crisis, the governor has ordered Louisiana National Guardsmen to begin bulk and bottled water deliveries to the hardest hit parts of the state. According to the report, they have distributed around 28,000 bottles so far.