In a major incident that has left much of Atlanta without running water, corroded water pipes burst near downtown Atlanta, causing significant outages and disruptions. As a result, Mayor Andre Dickens has declared a state of emergency in the city, and one local hospital had to evacuate some patients to other facilities.

The water main breaks occurred on Friday and were promptly addressed by utility and city officials. By Saturday, the site of the major break was repaired and the water system was gradually being brought back online. Fortunately, no contamination has been found as a result of the breaks.

As a precautionary measure, a boil water advisory was issued for the Metropolitan Atlanta area, which remains in effect on Sunday as repairs continue. The advisory aims to ensure the safety of residents until the water supply is fully restored.

Emory University Hospital Midtown, one of the affected healthcare facilities, had to transfer dialysis patients to other hospitals and divert ambulances, except for patients with urgent heart concerns. The hospital also rescheduled or relocated most outpatient appointments due to the disruptions caused by the pipe breaks. Bottled water was distributed to patients for both drinking and personal care needs.

Dr. Adam Webb, the chief operating officer of Emory Midtown, expressed the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in a hospital without running water. "Healthcare is challenging enough to care for patients in a hospital. And when you add to that, not having water, not being able to flush toilets, and other things, it becomes a true challenge and makes the job much more complex," Dr. Webb explained to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

However, residents have expressed frustration over the lack of timely communication from the city regarding the outages and disruptions. Acknowledging this, Mayor Dickinson apologized during a press conference on Saturday, acknowledging that the city could have done a better job in providing up-to-date information.

The repairs to the water main breaks are expected to continue, and residents are advised to follow the boil water advisory until further notice. The city authorities are also working on improving communication and keeping residents informed of any updates regarding the restoration of water services.

As Atlanta faces the consequences of these major water main breaks, the resilience of the city and the collaboration between officials and residents will be crucial in overcoming the disruptions caused by this unfortunate incident.