Listen to two attorneys as they discuss their opinions on Jackson Mississippi’s “Jackson water crisis” and how it relates to injury.
JACKSON WATER CRISIS
Recent events in Jackson, Mississippi, have left thousands of residents without water due to a failure at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant. Prior to the Jackson water crisis, the city of Jackson has been dealing with an ongoing boil water notice for quite a few weeks.
Unfortunately, residents awoke to the surprise of little to no water pressure following the ongoing notice. Multiple news outlets and other forms of media are discussing the Jackson water crisis in Mississippi across the nation.
Everett Pepper and Daryl Porter discuss the effects of this crisis on the communities in Jackson and legislature. During the podcast, our attorneys give a more in-depth explanation of their individual stances on the issues facing the city of Jackson.
Attorney Everett Pepper sets up with introducing himself and his associate, Daryl Porter. “Hey, I’m Attorney Everett Pepper, with Pepper and Odom law firm. I’m here with associate attorney Daryl Porter. Daryl, you want to say hello?”
Associate attorney Daryl retorts quickly with a response, “Hello!”, and the show begins. The two introduce the topic of the day: the Jackson Water Crisis.
Most people around the country have most likely heard on national news about the issue at hand in Jackson, Mississippi. The capital city of Mississippi is in a crisis as the production of clean drinking water ceases, resulting in no water pressure for taking baths or flushing toilets.
Many residents, business owners, and schools are suffering from the Jackson Water Crisis. Everett continued, “You know, Daryl has worked in the legislature, and, you know, that’s something that’s been high on everybody’s radar recently. “
Daryl went on to talk about his experience of sitting on city council for five years in his hometown of Summit, Mississippi. Respectively, the associate attorney has the experience of understanding the importance of having clean drinking water and having a viable and sustainable wastewater sewer facility.
He stated, “That’s just one of the main parts of a city’s job. See, it is the official’s job to make sure that the residents have clean drinking water from a state standpoint. The Mayor of Jackson, Antar Lumumba, has declared a state of emergency.”
“The governor, then in return, declared a state of emergency.” Associate attorney, Daryl porter, went on to say that the issue at hand was in escalation to the White House as well.
The attorney began to explain the role the legislature would play in helping the city of Jackson with providing clean drinking water and a viable wastewater sewer treatment facility. One of the facts of the discussion detailed that the city of Jackson had not presented a plan to the legislature or the federal government.
“Once we get back from being in session in January, there will be some pretty big requests from the state to help the city of Jackson out.” Transitioning to Everett, he continues the conversation forward towards a story of the simplicities of buying water and dirty water in Jackson.
Pepper recalls living in the Jackson area as early as 2008, and even back then you would not see bottled water being purchased by many people. “I could remember thinking back that it was silly paying $1.50 for bottled water when you could get it out of the water fountain for free.”
Then when I started law school at the Mississippi College School of Law, they had water fountains in the halls, but the water tasted so bad, you couldn’t drink it. It was undrinkable, and it even had a smell to it.” Everett continued, “At that point, I’m like, okay, I don’t mind buying bottled water.”
In contrast, the two lawyers went on to discuss the estimates for how much it would cost to fix everything associated with the Jackson water crisis. They stated the rumors of costs were in between the likes of 2 billion to 900 billion. This would entail restoration of the city’s infrastructure by the replacement of pipes.
One of attorney Daryl Porter’s comments noted another issue facing the city was regarding the workers at the water treatment facilities. In the podcast, the associate attorney pointed out that the city has their own water plants, but no workers that were certified to operate the plants.
Jackson requires certain certifications in order to operate water treatment facilities, in which they can send their employees to classes in order to gain certification. Unfortunately, no individual employed by the water treatment facility was qualified enough to operate the plant.
This issue just adds more complications to the ever-growing list of problems involving the Jackson water crisis and how officials will solve them. Additionally, it will require a lot of money from not just the city of Jackson and the state of Mississippi, but from the federal government as well.
Everett goes on to talk about the O.B. Curtis Water Plant, as well as the recent flooding in Mississippi and its relation to the Jackson water crisis. Some officials and news sources claim that the flooding had something to do with the water plants failing.
Throughout the podcast, they also address the situation of some Jackson schools, and how they would not be able to return to schools unless conditions improved. According to the attorneys, certain schools went to virtual learning as there was no water for cleaning or bathroom use on campus.
Fortunately, the schools going virtual have dealt with this type of learning before, during the COVID pandemic. They cover some topics relating to tort law, and how an individual lost their life due to a police chase from a neighboring county.
With water treatment facilities going down, businesses struggling to stay afloat, virtual learning from school closures, flooding, and tort law, this podcast covers quite a few topics of interest. Is there legal consequences for the way the city is handling the Jackson water crisis?
Does the Jackson water crisis relate to personal injury? If so, how does the Jackson water crisis relate to personal injury law?
Tune into Legal Roundup for the full experience with Everett Pepper and Daryl Porter at Pepper & Odom law firm. You can catch new episodes on Wednesday of every week on our website or Spotify coming soon!
Our lawyers have the experience and dedication towards getting their clients the restitution they deserve. Pepper & Odom follows a contingency, meaning we only get paid if we win.
For those with questions concerning personal injury or looking to build a claim, we offer a free initial consultation at Pepper & Odom. If you live in Mississippi or Alabama and suffer injury from a car wreck or some other accident due to someone else’s negligence, call Pepper & Odom at 601-202-1111 or contact us online.
WHAT DO WE DO ON PEPPER & ODOM’S LEGAL ROUNDUP?
Do you want to know what you can do if you are a victim of injury resulting from someone else’s negligence? Do you have a loved one who has recently lost their life as a result from a negligent act of another person?
What if the particular negligence in question was a result of a plane crash? On Legal Roundup with Everett Pepper and Daryl Porter from Pepper & Odom law firm, two of our attorneys discuss trending news and topics and how they can relate to personal injury claims.
Most of the topics we cover come from sources in Mississippi and Alabama. However, many of these controversial discussions can apply anywhere in the United States.
Our hope is that we can educate individuals who may be curious about how certain laws can affect them and what they should do in certain situations. If you have questions concerning an injury, wrongful death, or any other personal injury, Pepper & Odom offers free consultations.
