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MIAMI, Florida (WFOR) — Feeling forgotten and neglected, seniors living without running water in their Overtown homes for more than a week said things changed when CBS News Miami stepped in.
“It takes you to come out to have this done,” Jane McIntosh, a Town Park Village resident, said. “Thank God for you.”
McIntosh lives in one of four units in Town Park Village No. 1’s Building 10.
A water line outside that building burst August 1st, families said.
Three days later, property managers emailed families a letter that said “If you feel unsafe or are in need of evacuation, please notify your insurance carrier immediately.”
A second email said that Building 10’s “water pipe has major issues and is in need of repair” and “it may be best for (families) and (their) family to relocate.”
McIntosh and her neighbors said they had no place to go.
“Me and my husband go to his friends’ house to shower,” Estella Brown, a resident, said. “It’s not fair to us. It makes us feel like we’re bums.”
McIntosh, 77, walks with a cane but hauled water from her trunk to her home to bathe, cook, and use the bathroom because her faucets and toilet did not work.
An email sent Tuesday told families, “A plumber ordered materials to repair and replace damaged water lines and supplies should arrive August 11th.”
Families then asked CBS News Miami for help. Management did not respond to messages about the broken pipe.
However, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department reviewed its records and confirmed that “there were no water main breaks or infrastructure projects in the area that would impact water service delivery,” a spokesperson said.
“No one should have to survive like this,” McIntosh said. “It’s disheartening, but what can you do if they don’t fix it? You can’t move. The insurance doesn’t cover me moving.”
Two hours after McIntosh shared her story, water returned to her faucets.
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