Richmond's under a boil water advisory, and some residents don't have water at all

The big picture: The Sunday and Monday winter storms knocked out power to Richmond's water reservoir system and caused it to malfunction sometime around 6:30am Monday, city officials told reporters at an emergency press conference Monday evening.

• Mayor Avula said the backup generators kicked in immediately, but then there was flooding that affected the system's "ability to produce more water."
• "It wasn't until early in the afternoon when we realized … this is going to have real impacts," Avula said.
• Per Avula, that — and coordinating with agencies and surrounding counties — contributed to the delay in sending out the boil water advisory at 4:30pm Monday, 10 hours after the system first went down.

The latest: Service was expected to be restored by 10pm Monday night and be strong enough for flushing. It wasn't.

• But once it is, the Virginia Department of Health still has to test the water for bacteria.
• Officials will lift the boil water advisory once VDH gives the all clear.

Zoom in: The parts of the city most affected with no water or low pressure were the city's 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th council districts, which span The Fan, Byrd Park and Carytown through the city center, Northside and East End.

• Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover aren't impacted because they removed themselves from using the city's water supply earlier Monday.

The intrigue: This boil water advisory is the city's first in more than 20 years, April Bingham, senior director for the Department of Public Utilities, told Axios.

• The last one was in 2003 in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel.

What's next: The city will send updates across its social media channels when the water is safe to drink again.

The city's recommendations for ensuring safe water use during the advisory:

• Don't drink or use the tap water at all, which means don't make drinks with it, don't wash your dishes or fruits and veggies with it or brush your teeth with it.
• Don't cook with the tap water, either, unless the food is boiled "vigorously" for three minutes.
• Don't use ice made from water on Monday. Discard it and sanitize the ice machine and/or trays, even if the ice was dispensed from a fridge.
• Don't drink from water fountains in parks, or public or private buildings that receive water from DPU.
• And basically: use boiled or bottled water.

Temporary water conservation tips:

• Eliminate or shorten shower times.
• Avoid unnecessary toilet flushes.
• Avoid washing clothes for as long as possible.
• Postpone washing dishes if possible.
• Check all faucets, showerheads and under cabinets for drips.