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*Jackson State Coach Deion Sanders is speaking out about the water crisis in the city and how it’s affecting his players.
The situation is so so bad that residents are unable to flush toilets or access bottled water. Additionally, the city doesn’t have enough water to fight fires. According to CNN, the water crisis has been caused by torrential rain and ongoing water system issues. Flooding from the Pearl River also appears to be the catalyst, as noted by The Jasmine Brand.
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According to Gov. Tate Reeves, the main water treatment facility in Jackson began failing Monday. The National Guard has been distributing bottled water but many residents, who wait in line for hours, walk away empty-handed once cases run out.
The state is “surging our resources to the city’s water treatment facility and beginning emergency maintenance, repairs and improvements,” Gov. Reeves said. “We will do everything in our power to restore water pressure and get water flowing back to the people of Jackson.”
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Meanwhile, Sanders posted a video recently addressing the struggles his team is facing amid the loss of clean water.
“We don’t have water. Water means we don’t have air conditioning. Can’t use toilets. We don’t have water, therefore we don’t have ice, which pretty much places a burden on the program,” Sanders stated.
The ex-NFLer he’s in the process of securing hotel arrangements for the Tigers, a team he has been coaching since September 2020.
“I gotta get these kids off campus — the ones that live on campus, the ones that live in the city of Jackson — into a hotel and accommodate them so that they can shower properly and take care of their needs,” he said.
“Make sure all of our kids are fed, all of our kids have the necessities of life for the next several days, until this crisis resides,” Sanders added.
According to CNN, all Jackson public schools will shift to virtual learning amid the water crisis.
