The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s ability to respond to a fire is compromised and the air conditioning system at the Jackson Medical Mall is not functioning properly as a result of the water emergency in Jackson.
A water tanker is on the way to the Jackson Medical Mall and should arrive “later this morning,” a memo sent out to UMMC employees and students on Tuesday from Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the chief executive of the hospital, said.
Woodward noted the main UMMC campus and the Lakeland Medical Building are on a well-water system and are not being impacted by the city’s water issues.
The memo also references a forthcoming announcement that encourages patients who have an appointment at a Jackson location outside the main campus to call the clinic to check on the status of their appointment.
According to an announcement released Monday, the main campus is under a fire watch until further notice as a result of “a continuous drop in city water pressure.” The announcement, which apparently did not reach some employees and students until Tuesday, stated that all faculty, staff and students shall be notified of the watch and “remain on a heighten (sic) state of awareness to any potential fire related issues during this time.”
The state health department declared a public drinking water supply emergency for Jackson on Tuesday, the morning after Gov. Tate Reeves announced that the city’s treatment system had begun to fail.
READ MORE: Mississippi Today’s full coverage of the Jackson water crisis
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