Photo courtesy Gov. Tate Reeves Office/Facebook
During a press conference this morning, Governor Tate Reeves provided the latest update on the flooding of the Pearl River in Jackson.
Governor Reeves opened by stating that while the river is expected to continue rise in certain areas, the river has crested at 36.74 feet, which is slightly below the original projection of 38 feet.
“We believe that it is expected to be at or near its crest at this moment. Additional rises are expected to occur in certain areas, but we expect them to be localized, particularly near the HWY 80 area,” Governor Reeves said.
The Ross Barnett Reservoir will begin to decrease the discharge of water from the dam throughout the day.
The REZ Dam will begin slowing the discharge from 73,700 cfs to 70,000 cfs. Then at 6pm, they will decrease it more to 65,000 cfs. The Hwy 80 gauge can be misleading for our citizens North of it, it’s a bottleneck there. N of Lakeland Dr will begin to see the water slowly recede.
— RANKIN EOC (@RANKINEOC) February 17, 2020
While the river has reached its crest, officials stated that you were forced to evacuate, you should not return to your home until you are given the “ok” to do so by local officials. Governor Reeves said that it may take 2 to 3 days for the waters to recede in portions of Jackson.
The shelter at the Jackson Police Academy (3000 St. Charles Street) remains open.
If your home is flooded or if you approach a flooded area, do not walk through the water as it can be deeper than expected or contain debris, bacteria or animals.
At this time no injuries have been reported and 16 assisted evacuations were executed.
MDOT has reopened the outside lanes of I-55 and the frontage roads at Daniel Lake Blvd. Closures at State Street remain in place. If you approach a flooded road, do not drive through it. Turn around, don’t drown!
Additional rainfall is expected this week, but Governor Reeves stated that they “don’t expect additional rises in the Central Mississippi area”. As floodwaters move, however, he explained that it could affect counties downriver such as Copiah, Simpson, Lawrence, Jeff Davis, Marion, Pearl River, and Hancock Counties.
If your home has been damaged by flooding, document everything you can and contact the Mississippi Insurance Department at 1-800-562-2957.
