Tanker in viral videos isn’t providing water to Mississippi governor’s mansion

After days without running water, water pressure has been restored to Jackson, Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Monday, Sept. 5. 

The city’s water system partially failed in late August after flooding exacerbated existing problems at a water treatment plant. Though water pressure has been restored to Jackson, residents still need to boil their water until further notice, the city said in a press release on Sept. 6. 

Amid the crisis in Jackson, some people claimed in viral videos shared on TikTok and Twitter that a tanker parked near the Mississippi governor’s mansion downtown is providing water to the residence. 

“There is currently no running water in Jackson, Mississippi. The heat index is over 100 degrees. Schools are closed. People can’t cook, clean, drink, or bathe. But at least [Governor Reeves] has a giant water truck providing him with clean water at the governor’s mansion,” another person wrote in a viral tweet on Aug. 30. 

THE QUESTION

Is the tanker shown in the video providing water to the Mississippi governor’s mansion in Jackson?

THE SOURCES

• Office of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves
• Trustmark Bank

THE ANSWER

No, the tanker shown in the video is not providing water to the Mississippi governor’s mansion in Jackson. The tanker is supporting Trustmark Bank, which is across the street from the mansion.

WHAT WE FOUND

The viral videos do show a tanker parked across from the governor’s mansion in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, but it’s not providing water to the residence. 

The tanker is for Trustmark Bank, a spokesperson for Gov. Reeves’ office told VERIFY. 

In the six-second video clip shared on Twitter, the tanker is seen across the street from, but not directly in front of, the governor’s mansion. VERIFY also compared the video shared on Twitter to a Google Street View image of the area, and found that the building prominently featured in the viral video is Trustmark Bank’s headquarters located at 248 East Capitol Street in downtown Jackson. 

Trustmark Bank contracted with a private company to bring in the water tanker to its corporate headquarters as part of its disaster recovery and business continuity plans, said Melanie Morgan, the company’s corporate communications director.

“This particular tanker is solely for our building and its purpose is to be able to keep the facilities running for our associates and people that are working in the building,” she added. 

The tanker could be used to provide water needed to operate air conditioning systems and restrooms if needed. It would not provide drinking water, Morgan said. 

The governor’s spokesperson also confirmed that the tanker is “not supporting the Governor’s Mansion or any other state assets.” 

“The Governor’s Mansion gets its water from the Jackson water system. Many businesses have also brought in their own tankers,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. 

Though Trustmark hasn’t needed to use the tanker, it remains on site at the downtown headquarters “out of an abundance of caution,” Morgan said.