Jackson, miss. (WJTV) – Many businesses in Jackson are feeling financial strain from the water crisis.
Tracey Smith owns Smith Barbershop and Salon. He’s been cutting hair in Jackson for more than 20 years, but wonders how much longer he can keep in business under current conditions.
“I’m actually thinking about moving because it’s happening so much. I can say I know the money is coming, but it’s happening too much. I can’t keep the place clean. We’re flushing the toilet, pouring water into it Flushing the toilet. I had to fill the mop bucket because we didn’t have water and I had to buy water. It was becoming an economic strain,” he said.
In addition to not being able to provide full service, his central HVAC system was running on a boiler. Without water, the system cannot function.
“I know how to improvise. I know how to make things work. But I’m tired. It’s cold, but there’s no heat. The building has no air conditioning because of standing water. The system is on the boiler. There’s no heat. There’s no air,” Smith said.
The situation was so bad for him that he had to adjust his prices to charge less than he did a few years ago. He said it was difficult to do business without essentials such as water.