ORANGE, Texas — A woman in Orange is speaking out, claiming she's been living without water in her apartment for three weeks.
The resident said her water stopped working on Christmas Eve when the arctic cold front hit Southeast Texas. She said she is losing her patience.
"I mean, I can't clean out my refrigerator, can't do dishes, can't cook anything for my family," she said.
The resident asked 12News to not use her name or her face because she fears retaliation from management at the Sabine Park Apartment Homes.
"I cant clean my house," she said. "I have a service animal and I have to have water for him. We cant take baths, and we cant even flush our commodes."
Officials with the City of Orange said they have checked out the complex, but claims it's not their pipes and it's the responsibility of the complex to fix it.
The city told 12News the complex has been notified that it's up to them to fix it.
"We've talked to the property manager," the resident said. "We've been told that yes they are gonna fix it, but, I mean come on, you have 45 people, and you've got people with kids out here that depend on that. You have to do something."
It appears that almost 20 units at the complex have been without water for the last three weeks.
12News tried to speak with a manager on site on Tuesday, but no one was in the office.
When 12News reached a manager on the phone, she declined to comment on a timeline regarding the water being turned back on, or if residents might see a pay cut in the meantime.
12News was referred to a company called Trinity Multifamily based in Arkansas, but they haven't responded to any of our calls or emails.
The Texas Attorney General's website says renters have a right to demand that a landlord repair any issues that affect your physical health or safety. For renters living with no water, however, the waiting is becoming more difficult.
"I can't afford to move to another apartment cause it would mean breaking the lease, and I cant afford to do that," the resident said. "These other apartment complexes are wanting to charge 1,000, 800, 900... I cant afford it."
Maintenance crews were on scene working Tuesday, but it is unclear whether it was related to the water outage.
"It's terrible. It's horrible. No person should have to live like this," the woman said.
12News will update this article once we receive comment from the Sabine Park Apartment Homes or Trinity Multifamily.
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