In mid-January 2024, residents of Hale County, a county in the west central part of Alabama, said they had had no running water for days. The county has a population of around 14,800 residents.
In Greensboro, Alabama, Judge Arthur Crawford told Inside Climate News that the problem is caused by the county’s inadequate pumping infrastructure and the record-breaking freezing in central Alabama county. He said he, too, was without running water.
But for the dozen families, totaling hundreds of people, who have gone without water for days, they blame public officials and question their competence.
Residents like Odis McAlpine, an 88-year-old man who lived in the town his entire life, say the lack of running water means they must change their daily habits to adapt to the harsh reality. McAlpine blames authorities, saying they don’t know what they are doing.
Freezing temperatures in the county, combined with the Greensboro courthouse heating problem, have led local officials to rotate staff working indoors. Otherwise, if they choose not to report to work, they use the time off as personal time.
A water boil advisory was issued in the nearby city of Demopolis due to low or no water pressure. The situation has also led to the closure of local schools.
Judge Crawford says the county’s water woes have existed even before the frigid temperatures. Inadequate pumping infrastructure makes it hard to supply water to residents living uphill from towers, and the freezing temperatures have only worsened matters, he says.
Climate change and extreme temperatures
Research shows that climate change is causing Arctic amplification or accelerated Arctic warming, creating more severe winter weather. Cold air surrounding the North Pole, known as the Arctic polar vortex, will stretch downward, bringing more extreme cold temperatures across parts of Asia and North America, as was seen during the record freeze in Texas in February 2021.
Aside from more extreme winter temperatures, climate change will also bring intense heat during summer. Increased precipitation and more flooding will only add more pressure to the already vulnerable infrastructure of Hale County, which has a majority of Black residents.
For many years, civil rights and environmental activists have questioned whether there is enough funding and investment in predominantly African American communities.
Adequate investment in infrastructure, such as public spaces like parks, community centers, and businesses, can benefit the community and attract wealth and investment. For now, residents in Hale County are still waiting for their country officials to fix their water woes.
Source:
Hedgepath, L. (2024, January 19). Hale Freezes Over. Inside Climate News. Retrieved from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19012024/alabama-hale-county-without-water
Research Links Extreme Cold Weather In The United States To Arctic Warming. (2021, September 7). Climate Program Office. Retrieved from https://cpo.noaa.gov/research-links-extreme-cold-weather-in-the-united-states-to-arctic-warming/
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