Hyde-Smith and Wicker Show Support for Backwater Pumps

This weekend, following a recent outcry for updates on the fight for the Yazoo Backwater Basin Pumps, Mississippi’s two Republican U.S. senators responded.

In the last week, people affected by the Yazoo Backwater Flood have been pushing on social media for new statements from their elected representatives in Washington.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith saw a Facebook post for Saturday’s “Prayer for the Pumps” event and made an unannounced visit.

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is introduced to the gathering at Valley Park.

“As I tell my colleagues, we’re going about our normal lives while these people are trying to get through the next thirty minutes boating in and out,” Hyde-Smith told the crowd.

“I’m not here as a politician to say, ‘Vote for me.’ I’m here because I truly want to help you. I will never give up. I am your voice.”

Sen. Roger Wicker issued the following statement on the flooding in the Mississippi Delta:

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker

“The ongoing flooding in the lower Delta continues to demonstrate the need for better flood control infrastructure – including backwater pumps. My staff and I are in continual communication with the federal agencies that have jurisdiction over this project. Halting the flooding in the Mississippi Delta is one of my top priorities, and I will continue my work to give certainty to Mississippi farmers, residents, and property owners who are withstanding great hardship as a result of this disaster. I support the pumps and am working hard to see it finally in place.”

Although he has shown support in the past for the renewed push for the pumps, there has been no recent statement from Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, whose Mississippi 2nd Congressional District includes Vicksburg and much of the flooded backwater area.