A glitch in technology caused four days of water woes for Vicksburg residents, but the city and county made the best of it by turning to newer technology.

Tuesday, a short circuit in an elevator at the Vicksburg Water Treatment Plant on Haining Road caused a power outage that knocked out machinery that provides clean drinking water to about 10,000 customers in Vicksburg and the Yokena-Jeff Davis Water District.

The city wasted no time in notifying people via its smartphone app and the county’s CodeRed emergency alert system. Both pieces of fairly recent technology showed their worth during the time of water worries.

The CodeRed alert went above and beyond expectation by notifying all 18,000 people who are signed up to receive the alerts whether or not they live in the city.

“So many county residents work and go to school in the city. We felt like it was best for everyone to get that information,” Warren County Emergency Manager John Elfer said.

The app and CodeRed also announced to thousands of people the end of the boil water notice Friday.

The massive boil water notice also allowed the city and its residents to practice for a true emergency in which a portion or all infrastructures fail.

Although the water system’s pressure did not drop to 20 pounds per square inch, the level under which cities and water districts are required under state law to issue boil water notices, Vicksburg Public Works Director Garnet Van Norman said the boil water advisory was issued as a precaution.

It was also a reminder to all of us who fail to keep a well stocked emergency kit. Authorities recommend having a standing supply of food and water for 72 hours.

Obviously many Vicksburg residents don’t have much of a standby reserve. County Market shoppers bought 2,000 24-packs of water, and Corner Market sold out of gallon jugs of water.

This week we all learned these lessons, and let us hope we don’t have to use them again for a while.