ANSON COUNTY, N.C. — Residents across Anson County have been without running water for more than 24 hours, with emergency management reporting that 60% of service has been restored.
Officials are hoping for full restoration by Friday, though a boil water advisory remains in effect for the area.
Free water is being distributed at various fire stations and stores in Wadesboro to assist affected residents during the outage.
The prolonged water outage has created significant hardship for residents, particularly due to the heat. Many are struggling with basic daily activities such as bathing and brushing teeth without a reliable water supply.
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Even in areas where water service has been restored, residents are encountering issues with water quality.
One resident, who invited news crews into her home but asked that her face not be shown, described the water coming from her tap as “brown” and “cloudy.”
The unnamed resident also noted the absence of a chlorine smell, raising concerns about its potability.
She said, “Yeah, it’s brown, that’s what’s coming out, it’s cloudy you can’t smell the chlorine.” The resident also stated, “Do you feel comfortable drinking it? No, that’s why I’ve got all those cases of water.”
Cesar Lavaderer, another Anson County resident, spoke about the difficulties he has faced. Lavaderer indicated that he had no water for “the last 24 something hours.”
He expressed the severity of the situation, stating, “very tough, very though I have burned a lot of calories; I’m unable to have any food. It’s making it difficult to brush my teeth.”
Wadesboro Police Chief Michael Childers has been involved in distributing free water to residents.
Childers noted that while many elderly residents have sought advice, no emergency calls have come from nursing homes, stating, “Actually, we haven’t. Thankful for that, but we haven’t. A lot of the elderly have been the ones that have been reaching out looking for advice on what to do, but no one has been in distress.”
Thelma Gaddy, a resident, voiced her frustration with the situation. Gaddy said, “Come on now, we need some water. It’s not me. I don’t like taking no bird bath.”
Another resident, Carl Capen, lamented the impact on his ability to perform household chores.
Capen stated, “I can’t wash. Come on man, I just got one basket. I ain’t got a ton, I got one basket. I was over at the laundramat in Wadesboro. I can’t wash.”
Emergency management officials aim for 75% water restoration across the county by tomorrow morning. It is not clear how long the boil water advisory will remain in effect.
Emergency management officials anticipate 75% water restoration by tomorrow morning. The duration of the boil water advisory is currently unknown.