No water. Collapsed ceilings. Inside the 'nightmare' some Memphians are facing

Washing dishes in flower pots, using cooking pots filled with bottled water to flush toilets and camping out at relatives' homes for safety.

Those are just some of the ways Memphis residents are coping with having no water.

After a winter storm swept through Memphis Dec. 22, thousands of people were left with no water and a boil water advisory was issued for all Memphis Light, Gas & Water customers. By Wednesday, MLGW said water pressure was back to normal but customers will remain under the boil advisory until water samples can be collected and tested.

That's if you have water.

"It's been a nightmare," said Tatiana Bass, an East Memphis resident who has been without water since Christmas Eve. "I've had to drink less water, be more mindful of that... I've had to use a huge flower pot I luckily had to rinse the dishes off, but I had to think quick because I don't have any basins."

Bass, a California native who moved to Memphis in 2020, said the cold weather and issues that came with it in Memphis were "a culture shock."

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On Dec. 23, she noticed the water from her faucets changed colors, and soon her home began to fall apart.

"(The water) was brown," Bass, 35, said. "Brown to the point where I thought it was more poop in our toilet than it should've been, but my husband said, 'No, that's the water.'"

By Dec. 24, Bass' kitchen ceiling started leaking, and eventually it fell to the ground. All her major kitchen appliances including the stove and microwave were soaked with the brown water.

Bass, who has a 6-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, had to turn off the water to her home.

With the water shut off, Bass tried to book a hotel room for her and her family to stay in while the insurance company worked on getting the pipes repaired, but she had no luck.

Now, she tries to make do with what she can.

"It's been difficult using water bottles to brush our teeth, wash our hands," she said. "Almost makes me want to pack up and run home to California."

The children don't seem affected by the lack of water from the faucets, but Bass grows more nervous each day the water is off.

"I've been counting their little water bottles," she said. "I'm hoping we can get lucky and find something or something happens soon where we have fresh water."

As a mother of two and a wife, Bass feels frustrated and wants MLGW to "figure it out soon," for all residents.

"I don't think Memphis was made for the cold and they're not evolving with the weather as it changes over the years," Bass said. "It's time for them to upgrade things and prepare better."

Similar to Bass, University of Memphis senior Tori Black has been without water since the evening of Dec. 22 and wants to see improvements with city and utility leadership.

"I'm so grateful for the MLGW workers," said Black, who lives in an apartment building near U of M. "But to (Memphis) City Hall, to MLGW, to (Tennessee Valley Authority), please get it together."

When Black realized their apartment had no water, they decided on Dec. 23 to head to their grandmother's home. As Black rode down the elevator of their apartment to leave, the sound of water droplets became more prominent.

"It sounded like one of those ASMR videos of the rainforest," Black said. "I step out of the elevator and it's pouring down water from the ceiling in the lobby, and part of the ceiling has collapsed."

Before deciding to leave their apartment, Black thought they could "stick it out" with no water but then the heat went out as well, and their apartment's temperature dropped to around 52 degrees.

"It was insane," Black said. "We knew once pipes stated breaking we'd have a boil water advisory because we went through it last year, and I just decided to leave."

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On Christmas Day, Black received an email from their building management office encouraging tenants to relocate for a couple days, suggesting the residents head to a loved one's home or a warming center. Black forwarded the email to The Commercial Appeal.

Now, Black is staying at their parents' Cordova home where there is water but they still need to boil it before using it.

"It's just frustrating," Black said. "I hope that we seem some real investment for the upcoming, well it's already happening, climate change."

By Wednesday, MLGW consumers were on their fourth day of the boil water advisory, which began Saturday evening. Some had water pressure restored by Wednesday and could use the faucet water to boil for use, but others remained with little to no pressure.

To help those without running water or clean water to use, community leaders and government officials began passing out water.

On Wednesday, cars lined up on the side of the Memphis Museum of Science and History for clean water, donated by Galler Foods.

Elizabeth Easterling, 53, stopped by MoSH for a case of water because water pressure at her East Memphis home has been low since Dec. 23.

"We're just trying to take it easy," Easterling said. "I got some cases (of bottled water) to use to make food and give to the cats."

Easterling is grateful she does not have it worse and tries to stay "upbeat."

"It's just one day at a time," she said. "We make sure to be careful on the (toilet) flushing, and we take quick showers to try and maintain everything."

To flush her toilet, Easterling said she'll grab a bucket of water to force flush, but by Wednesday her home's water pressure seemed to get stronger.

"Yeah it sucks because it happened around the holiday... but you can't prevent Mother Nature," she said. "You just do what you can and enjoy life when you can."

Easterling hopes people's situations get better, and she hopes residents remember that Memphis restaurants are in similar predicaments.

"I hope people don't give attitudes, especially to restaurants," she said. "Just be nice to the food industry people because they still have to work and they're doing the best they can without the water system."

Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis water problems: Residents face no water, damaged homes, more