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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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See earlier coverage of the rising Pearl River

The city of Jackson released the following statement this afternoon, verbatim: The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District notified the City of Jackson today that they will have to increase flows from the Ross Barnett Reservoir by 7 p.m. this evening. They anticipate that the River gauge could rise to approximately 33.5 feet by midnight. Based on historical data, the following streets may flood at this level:

33 Feet
Annie Street
Martin Street – behind houses
Sidney Street
Town Creek – to bank level and into the low points

34 feet
Annie Street
City Garage Parking Area
Eastover Area – behind homes
Foxboro Street
Galilee Street – behind homes
Riverwood –East of Harrow Drive
Martin Street –under houses
Martin & Hinds Street – curb area
Old Brandon Road – Water in curb lane – closed at night
President St – South End
Quarters Parking Area – back lot
Rollingwood Drive – back yards
Sidney Street
South West Street – Pack’s parking lot
Westbrook Road – East of Sedgewick Dr
Yucca Drive

Public Works will begin deploying assets to block off areas as needed this afternoon.

City Fire and Police Departments are prepared to assist with any evacuations if necessary. We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely and will provide any additional information as it becomes available. We encourage all Jacksonians who may live in low lying areas to stay tuned to their local media outlets for areas that may be affected by the rising river.
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Previous Comments

All, check out this link to Pearl River inundation maps. You can see where flooding from 28 to 34 feet will affect our area.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.