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.<\/p>\n
“It takes you to come out to have this done,” Jane McIntosh, a Town Park Village resident, said. “Thank God for you.”<\/p>\n
McIntosh lives in one of four units in Town Park Village No. 1’s Building 10.<\/p>\n
A water line outside that building burst August 1st, families said.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
McIntosh and her neighbors said they had no place to go.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
An email sent Tuesday told families, “A plumber ordered materials to repair and replace damaged water lines and supplies should arrive August 11th.”<\/p>\n
Families then asked CBS News Miami for help. Management did not respond to messages about the broken pipe.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
Two hours after McIntosh shared her story, water returned to her faucets.<\/p>\n