Jackson prepares for catastrophic flooding as the Pearl River is expected to rise: Residents fill up on sandbags or evacuate to shelters following the mayor’s warning to “Get out now.”
Jackson, Mississippi, residents are preparing for floods that might affect hundreds of houses.
Monday, the pearl river is expected to reach a height of 35.50 feet, with 100 to 150 people at risk of flooding tonight.
Two years ago, days of heavy rainfall prompted the Pearl River to overflow its banks and flood nearby homes.
As the Pearl River is about to overflow its banks, Jackson, Mississippi residents are preparing for catastrophic flooding that might affect hundreds of houses.
Residents are already stocking up on sandbags or abandoning their houses to stay in shelters after the mayor of Jackson urged people to “get out now” due to the impending threat of flooding from predicted severe rainfall.
On Monday, experts expect that the Pearl River will reach a height of 35.5 feet (10.8 meters), and the city estimates that 100 to 150 residences may be inundated by Monday night.
“If you are capable of leaving now, leave immediately. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at a press conference Saturday, the same day Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced a state of emergency, “Get out as soon as possible.”
Two years ago, days of torrential downpours prompted the Pearl River to rise to a height of 36.7 feet (11.2 meters), flooding the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Jackson with murky, snake-infested flood water.
Now, people are taking precautions in anticipation of another tragedy, and the Red Cross has erected a temporary shelter at the Jackson Police Department Training Academy.
As the Pearl River is about to overflow its banks, Jackson, Mississippi residents are preparing for catastrophic flooding that might affect hundreds of houses. Pictured: On Sunday, a homeowner checks the depth of the floodwater as he passes through Jackson.
On Monday, experts expect that the Pearl River will reach a height of 35.5 feet (10.8 meters), and the city estimates that 100 to 150 residences may be inundated by Monday night. Pictured: On Sunday, a homeowner flees through rising floodwaters in this northeast Jackson community.
Sunday traffic crosses the spillway as the Ross Barnett Reservoir dumps water into the Pearl River.
On Sunday, residents in a northeast Jackson neighborhood record the rising floodwaters on their cellphones.
Some people of Jackson were moving out of their homes. Others were gathering sandbags. In anticipation for floods, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has put 126,000 sandbags as water barriers.
Sunday, Mayor Lumumba told CNN, ‘We want them to evacuate and pray that the worst does not occur. We do not wish to take the chance that it could occur when they are present in their houses.
Residents should leave the city “as soon as possible,” he warned, adding, “Unfortunately, because we have experienced these events as recently as 2020, we have a reference point, and we are aware of the potential devastation.”
Lumumba stated, “If we endanger the life of one individual, that is one too many.” Over the past three days, our residents have been flooded by relentless rainfall.
Oscar Day, a worker in inventory control at a sandbag distribution location, reported that Jackson homeowners began preparing their homes for probable flood damage prior to 2020.
Sunday, Day told The Associated Press that residents who did not take safeguards two years ago “got the heat.”
Monday will include showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson, which might persist into the evening.
Now, people are taking precautions in anticipation of another tragedy, and the Red Cross has erected a temporary shelter at the Jackson Police Department Training Academy (pictured)
Oscar Day (pictured), an inventory control employee at a sandbag distribution location, stated that Jackson homeowners began preparing their homes for probable flood damage well before 2020.
On Sunday, a sand stockpile is seen at a Mississippi Department of Public Works maintenance site in Jackson, Mississippi.
Monday will include showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson, which might persist into the evening.
Red Cross volunteer from Huntsville, Alabama, Linda Gagliardi advised, ‘Have a plan and be prepared to escape at a moment’s notice.’ And I believe that is what people are awaiting, that moment of clarity.’
The Mississippi floodwaters arrive in the wake of last month’s destruction and fatalities in Kentucky. These floods were responsible for at least 39 deaths and deprived tens of thousands of families of all of their belongings.
After nearly a month, residents are still debating whether to rebuild where they currently reside or to start over elsewhere.
Officials in Jackson have not enforced a mandatory evacuation order, but they have warned residents that they will be on their own if they chose to remain at home.
Sunday afternoon, a Ridgeland police officer patrolling the Harbor Pines Mobile Home Community estimated that 20 percent of the residents had yet to depart.
He warned: ‘If you stay here and you get stranded, we may or may not be able to come rescue you.’