Valentina: On Wednesday night, a 50-year-old pipe ruptured in Watertown, New York, causing 45,000 people to lose their water supply.
School has been cancelled, businesses closed, and surgeries postponed- till things are back to normal.
According to Sergeant Jacob Bull, while waiting for the water pressure to build and with the boil water advisory still in place, and expected to be for the next few days, people are still coming to get their easy filtered water.
Sergeant Jacob Bull: There’s been a lot of community support, emergency management, New York State, the county has all come together with the city to get volunteer fire departments involved, the United States Army is here helping us out so there’s a lot of support from the state and federal government to help the city out.
Valentina: Bull mentions how understanding and great the community has been in this crisis.
While the water main was fixed last night, Sergeant Jacob Bull says this site has picked up in consumers in comparison to yesterday.
They are not in a drought anymore, but he says they’re mostly worried about people using unnecessary water during this recovery time and completely draining the system.
Residents have been using bottled water for most daily tasks like brushing teeth, preparing food, washing dishes, and of course drinking water.
Current resident and graduate of Watertown High School, Daemareon Warren, was asked to help out at the water supply site.
With a genuine smile, Warren has been helping load the consistent chain of cars and greeting familiar faces with conversation as he can.
Daemareon Warren: No yeah everybody is calm about it they’re blessed, grateful for everything so yeah feels good to like give to the people that need it and stuff.
Valentina: And the help doesn’t stop there!
Here at the Watertown Fairgrounds, where behind me local pd and volunteers are help supplying bottled water as well as Fort Drum soldiers to my left helping provide potable water as well. And they are happy to help.
Sergeant Mohamed Amidou, Water Treatment Officer, talked through the role he plays in taking care of the purification and delivery of the water.
Sergeant Mohamed Amidou: We actually out here, we gonna stay out here as long as we are needed to keep supporting them with water.
Valentina LaFranca: The wireless emergency alert system is keeping residents up to date with news regarding the situation like the state of emergency and boil water advisory which is in effect until otherwise notified.
From Syracuse, New York
I’m Valentina Macellaro LaFranca with NCC News
Update: The boil water advisory was lifted on Monday, after the state Health Department confirmed the water quality was up to state and federal set standards.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)- When crisis strikes, how people respond says a lot about a community. In Watertown, people are not angry or upset but grateful and appreciative of the quick efforts to keep water flowing.
Around midnight Thursday, a 50-year-old pipe ruptured in the Watertown area causing the town and towns surrounding it to lose their water supply. Thursday night the main pipe was fixed but with a boil water advisory in place, people still needed to pick up potable water.
Thanks to local police, U.S. Army members and volunteers, there were three sites where residents could pick up water bottles or jugs to fulfill their daily tasks like brushing teeth, preparing dinner, and of course drinking water.
At one of the sites, the Watertown fairgrounds, Sergeant Jacob Bull of the Watertown Police Department was around helping direct traffic and monitoring the scene.
“There’s been a lot of community support,” Bull said. “The county has all come together with the city to get volunteer fire departments involved, the United States Army is here helping us out, so there’s a lot of support from the state and federal government to help the city out.”
Bull said the amount of people coming to get water was steadily increasing on Friday morning.
