BEAUMONT, TEXAS, SEPT 1, 2017 -- The city of Beaumont, Texas, has lost access to its clean water supply because of rising flood waters from tropical storm Harvey.
PBS reports the city's police department issued a statement, confirming it lost power at its main pump station along the Neches River and from its secondary source of well water in an adjacent county.
The area was one of those hardest hit by Harvey, receiving 29 inches of rain as the storm made landfall last week. Nearly 120,000 residents have lost access to clean water, and will need to wait until the water levels recede before their service will be restored.
In an update to their Facebook page, the police department advised residents to turn off water pipes and boil any water for personal use until the pump station can be repaired. Emergency water distribution centers have also been set up in the city.
In addition to residential customers, the water loss is also affecting healthcare sites and the local fire department, which is exploring the need for additional water tankers to be trucked in from nearby towns.
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