WAYNE COUNTY, Mississippi (WDAM) – Nearly 4,000 customers of Hiwannee Water Association in Wayne County were without water for several days after a lightning strike damaged a water main Friday, the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency said.
Community leaders and volunteers joined forces Sunday to bring drinking water to neighborhoods served by Hiwanee.
The water boxes were a welcome sight for customers of Hiwannee on the east side of the Chickasawhay River, who said they hadn’t had running water since Friday.
The Wayne County EMA said the company believed the problem could be resolved quickly.
However, this was not the case.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Wayne County Beat 2 took matters into their own hands.
“Fifteen pallets of water,” said Paul Keane, spokesman for the Wayne County EMA. “That’s a total of 1,260 cases of water from the (Mississippi Emergency Management Agency).
“And a local company, Kelly Companies, was generous enough to drive to Jackson to pick up the water (Saturday). And now, as you can see by the number of trucks and vehicles, the citizens have just stepped up in a great way to help their fellow citizens and neighbors.”
Residents in the area said they were grateful to their local politicians but still frustrated with the situation.
“Luckily, my sister lives in town and still has water, so we can go to her place, bathe and do what we need to do,” says Wayne County resident Melanie Hardcastle. “But here at home, it’s a struggle to have water to flush the toilet. I can’t do laundry. I can’t wash dishes. I have to buy drinking water because it’s pretty hot right now and I don’t have water.”
EMA announced on its Facebook page that Hiwannee has now discovered a leak in a main line in the Patton Creek area.
According to official information, a lightning strike on Friday was the cause.
The company expects repairs to take another 24 to 36 hours, and customers closer to the leak may have to wait even longer.
“I can say that the Hiwannee Water Association is working as hard and as quickly as they can to solve the problem,” Keane said. “And they hope to have everything back to normal here shortly.”
This is not the first time communities have been without water this year. Hardcastle says there was a similar situation in January.
“I think it may have been because of the severe frost we had,” she said. “It caused a major water pipe to burst and we were without water for six days.”
“I think the problem is major infrastructure issues. I don’t know what they need to do to solve the problem, but it seems to be a pretty regular occurrence now.”
The company said all customers on the east side of the river should boil their water until further notice once supplies are restored.
Until water supplies are restored, water tankers will be available at the Denham Fire Station, Sunlight Church and Waynesboro Country Club for residents to fill their own containers.
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