Jackson water system fails. Governor calls in National Guard to distribute water

Declaring the City of Jackson’s ongoing water crisis an immediate health threat, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday night issued an emergency order directing the state’s Emergency Management Agency to install an “Incident Command Center” at the city’s O. B. Curtis water treatment plant near the reservoir.

MEMA, in conjunction with the state Department of Health, will “begin operating tomorrow (Tuesday) morning to begin emergency maintenance and improvements,” Reeves said.

The timing of the order resulted from information that Curtis was operating well below capacity which could result in no...