Some Iowa residents without power, water and sewage; Say could last over a week
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AVON, IA (WHO) — Roughly 150 residents in the unincorporated town of Avon Lake are without power, water or sewage, and they are not sure when they will get it back.
Charlie Freeman, a resident in Avon, said because the town does not belong to a particular municipality, they are usually slow to receive help for these kind of situations. But after the destructive Derecho on Monday, he and many others are unable to do essential things like take a shower or flush their toilets.
Freeman said he had a pleasant experience speaking with MidAmerican Energy, but the company told him it could be a waiting period of up to a week, since it is busy trying to restore power to hundreds of thousands of Iowans.
“I know they are doing everything they can,” he said. “It’s not that we are better than someone else but the sewer and water issue is a big thing.”
His wife, Janice Elliott, said the pandemic only worsens the situation because they cannot seek shelter elsewhere like they might have in other times.
“My husband has medical issues so we are totally isolated. We haven’t been in anyone’s home since March, so to go there and take a shower — we just can’t. I don’t know what we are gonna do,” she said.
Across the street their neighbor Sharon Hill is also in a similar situation. Her husband is battling cancer, so they also have limited options for leaving.
“It makes it difficult to remember we are in the middle of a pandemic because you’re worried about all these things — oh my gosh I need water, how am I gonna flush my toilet? You forget you have to still stay safe,” Hill said.
One resident in the neighborhood is living out of her camper, while Elliott and her husband are using a generator to keep their refrigerator and lights on.
“It’s horrible,” she said. “Everybody is upset but we don’t know what to do.”
Elliott said in the meantime, they are using bottled water to attempt to bathe and wash their hands — although she doubts its effectiveness compared to warm, running water from a faucet.
“Washing your hands with a bottle of water is almost impossible to do well and that’s what we need to be doing in a pandemic. I think it’s pretty much impossible to keep clean in these conditions,” she said.
All three residents said they understand so many Iowans are in similar situations and are trying to stay positive, but are not sure how they can sustain without the necessities.
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