Mayor Andre Dickens calls Atlanta water outage a ‘state of emergency’

Mayor Andre Dickens declared a state of emergency after several water main breaks hit downtown Atlanta. The two water main breaks occurred at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Parkway, as well as another at 11th Street NE and West Peachtree Street.

At a press conference on June 1, Dickens took a moment to apologize for the lack of communication during the first problems that arose on May 31.

“I’ll be frank, overnight we didn’t do the best job of communicating. We could have done a better job over the past day and I apologize for not being able to provide you with as much up-to-date information as possible,” Dickens said.

Thousands of residents and businesses in downtown and central Atlanta were without water Friday and Saturday. Affected government offices included the Georgia State Capitol, the Georgia Supreme Court and Atlanta City Hall.

On advice from the city of Atlanta, State Farm Arena has canceled Megan Thee Stallion’s concerts on Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s show is currently scheduled to continue.

But even though several businesses were affected, Grady Hospital and Emory University Hospital have continued to accept patients and are fully operational, Dickens said.

Water returned to most residents Saturday afternoon, but a citywide boil water advisory was issued.

Affected residents can collect drinking water at several fire stations, including 1-71 Elliot St; Station 2 – 1568 Jonesboro Road; Station 10-447, boulevard; and Station 16-1048 Joseph E Boone Blvd.

About the author of the message

AR Shaw, Editor

AR Shaw is editor of the Atlanta Daily World. His work has been featured in The Guardian, ABC News, NBC, BBC, CBC. He is also the author of the book “Trap History: Atlanta Culture and the Global Impact of Trap Music.”