The Detroit News chronicles the painful stories of Detroit resident surviving after their water has been shut off by the city because of delinquent bills.
Fayette Coleman, 66, hasn’t had running water in her Brightmoor house since May 2013, the News reports.
Joel Kurth writes that she uses bottled water, much of which she gets from charities. And she collects rainwater with a trash can.
"You use your brain. You scramble. You survive because you’re used to dealing with nothing,” Coleman tells the News. The News reports that her home is one of at least 4,000 that have had water shutoff since the highly publicized shutoffs last year.
Gary Brown, director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, says the city can provide some help if people ask.
Another tale involves Billie Williams, 53:
The onetime Wayne County forestry worker hasn’t had a job in 20 years, after his wife left him with two severely autistic children to care for. One died in April from complications of diabetes, prompting Williams to borrow money for the funeral and wreck his already precarious finances.
“This is a nightmare. I can boil (bottled) water and clean myself up, but what do I do about him?” Williams asked, pointing to his son.
Garmel Williams is 23. He’s about 250 pounds, nonverbal and comes across as aggressive. Every minute or so, he pushes Williams, who swats away his hand.
Garmel is not toilet trained.
“He sleeps in diapers. They leak. The sheets get wet. How am I supposed to wash them?” the father asked.
Williams, who lives on public assistance, took advantage of a Detroit program that restores water for 21 days for those with medical emergencies. He got assistance from the Detroit Water Brigade, a grass-roots group that helps with deposits and supplies water to those without.
The reprieve was short-lived. In early December, the water was turned off. Now Williams is looking for another rental with running water.
“Everything looks like it’s falling down around me,” he said.
