Eagle Lake Continues to Fight for Water and Power

After yesterday’s storms killed power to the area and blew out an electrical panel that operated the water system, Eagle Lake is fighting back once again.

The fighting spirit is still strong with the beleaguered residents. They have suffered several months of flooding and seen their properties wash away, traveled an extra hour to get anywhere and spent most of Monday with no power and the threat of no fresh water. Some describe the flood waters that surround them as toxic.

‘That water has a lot of chemical runoff, septic tank back up, fuel and who knows what else in it,” Eagle Lake Fire Chief Earl Wallace said. “Do not go in the water without wearing protection.”

Storm damage took out four power poles early Monday morning. Those poles are in five feet of water on Low Water Bridge Road coming out of Rolling Fork. Twin County Power lacks the equipment to install poles in areas covered with water. Special equipment and specially trained people are needed to handle the dangerous task. Tim Perkins, General Manager of Twin County Power, stated to Vicksburg Daily News yesterday, “We will get this done as quickly and safely as possible.” He went on to say they were diligently working to find a company or contractor with the equipment to install the poles.

Soon after that conversation, Perkins announced they had found a group in Louisianna that they believe can do the job. That crew will be on site this morning to evaluate the problem and see if they can fix it.

The threat of having no water was remedied later in the day.

“The plant control board has been repaired and is running on generator power,” wrote Sarah Farrell on social media and on behalf of the Eagle Lake Board.

Many months of fighting, disappointment and frustration have not defeated the hard working and tenacious natures of those affected by the Great Backwater Flood of 2019. Said Eagle Lake resident Linda Banchetti to her community, “The water plant is running on a generator and will be able to continue with no problems with the water supply. Tomorrow we will hopefully have good news that power will be restored before too long!”