Apartments still without water 11 days after Houston freeze
HOUSTON - Many apartments across the Houston area still don’t have water 11 days after arctic weather led to countless broken pipes.
One of the affected communities is Lakecrest Village Apartments on Tidwell Road.
Out of the dozens of buildings on the property, some have had water restored, while some haven’t been able to shower in 11 days.
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Some Houstonians still without water, waiting on an appointment with a plumber
Plumbers seem to be the most popular people in town as thousands still need to have their pipes repaired after they ruptured in last week's freeze. Many plumbers are no longer accepting appointments because they're booked for weeks to come.
Those without water say they’ve had to get buckets of water from the pool just to flush the toilet, and they’re not getting answers from their property managers on when conditions will improve.
"We have no water and can’t take a bath," said Gwendolyn McGee, who lost power and water during the snowstorm on Feb. 15.
While waiting for her broken pipes to be fixed, she’s using bottled water and pool water to flush the toilet. She’s also looking forward to showering.
"We haven’t," she said. "We smell like a goat."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THE HISTORIC WINTER STORM
Next door, Kayata Hevert says she wants answers after plumbers left her carpet soggy and torn but didn’t fix the pipes.
"From under here all the way around, they pulled the padding up," said Hevert, showing where the carpet was cut away from the wall and carpet padding was left clumped in a heap under the carpet. "And they put the carpet back down after they pulled the pad up."
She and McGee haven’t had luck getting answers from the Lakecrest Village leasing office.
"They’re not taking no calls ‘cause they said that they know the water’s off," said McGee.
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Renters' rights and aid for repairs from burst pipes
Many renters have damage from burst pipes in their homes. Some tell us they're having trouble getting their landlord to make repairs.
Hevert says property managers locked the office door and aren’t answering questions after pipes broke across the community.
"When they know something’s wrong and they’re not working like they’re supposed to, oh that door locked," said Hevert.
When FOX 26 visited the locked leasing office, an employee handed us a phone number through the door. After calling, FOX 26 has not immediately heard back from Lakecrest Village about when pipes will be fixed and why residents are locked out of the office.
"Y’all all want to huddle up in that office and treat us like we’re savages, and we’re not," one resident told Fox 26. "We’re human just like you are."
City of Houston Public Works officials say their 311 phone line has been overwhelmed with calls about water issues across the city. They are advising apartment residents with water concerns to email them or submit an inquiry on their website instead. They will send crews to investigate whether property managers are doing what they can to fix pipes and restore water.
You can email Houston Public Works at 311@houstontx.gov or submit an inquiry at houstontx.gov/311.