Major water main breaks in Atlanta, Georgia, have caused significant outages and disruptions, as Mayor Andre Dickens has issued a state of emergency in the city and one local hospital had to evacuate some patients to other facilities.
The breaks occurred on Friday when corroded water pipes burst near downtown Atlanta. According to utility and city officials, the site of the major water main break was repaired on Saturday, with the system gradually being brought back online and no contamination has been found as a result of the break.
A boil water advisory was issued for the Metropolitan Atlanta area out of an abundance of caution, with the advisory continuing into Sunday as repairs remain ongoing. The main breaks have left much of Atlanta without running water.
On Saturday, Emory University Hospital Midtown transferred dialysis patients to other hospitals and the hospital diverted ambulances except for patients with urgent heart concerns.
The hospital stated most outpatient appointments have been rescheduled or moved as a result of the pipe breaks, as bottled water was distributed to patients for drinking and personal care needs.
“Healthcare is challenging enough to care for patients in a hospital,” Dr. Adam Webb, chief operating officer of Emory Midtown, told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution in an interview. “And when you add to that, not having water, not being able to flush toilets and other things. Things that are an annoyance at home are really a true challenge and make the job that much more complex.”
Megan Thee Stallion concerts scheduled for Friday and Saturday were cancelled as a result of the breaks. Numerous business closed, including the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. Other events in the area were also canceled.
Residents have been irate over the slow communications from the city on the disruptions. The mayor acknowledged the issues in a press conference on Saturday.
“I will be candid that overnight we did not do the best job of communicating,” Dickens said. “We could have done a better job over the past day. And for that, I apologize in how we have not been able to give you as much up to date information as possible.”