WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Dozens of Wilmington seniors have gone without water for days. Now they are speaking up. A resident of Robert Taylor Sr. House says the water supply has been out since Thursday after a pipe burst.
Residents like Myrus Sawyer have used water bottles to clean, bathe, eat and drink.
“I think it is unfair. I feel like the building should be,” Sawyer said.
The facility is intended for people over the age of 55 and has an income limit. Many residents receive rent assistance from the Wilmington Housing Authority. Without water, everyday life is difficult for the elderly and disabled.
Residents said they received a letter Friday morning with information about the reason for the water outage, but said they had not received an update since.
Sawyer and her neighbors were given a two-hour window at 10am and 5pm each day to temporarily turn the water back on. They used that time to fill buckets and tubs with as much water as possible.
A man whose mother lives in an institution said he brings her a bottle of water and checks on her every day to try and ease her pain.
“It’s bad when I talk to my mother every day and hear her say there’s no water, I check her in the morning and my sister checks her and there’s no answer. And I think they deserve answers,” Tony said.
Tony didn’t want his last name to be used to protect his mother’s identity.
WECT has contacted the management of Robert Taylor Senior Houses and Excel Property Management but has not received a response. Residents also say they were out of luck.
But according to Sawyer, their patience is about the same as water.
“It’s gone… Now it’s time to speak up. This is the last straw without water.”
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