Wellness

[RINGER]

You have my prayers and the prayers of anyone who will have problems with flooding in any of the states that had huge amounts of snow.

It really makes those of us who are not having any problems feel how blessed we are and how sad for others with or without water, cold and not heat and the list goes on.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!

[gazelle77]

From the news it sounded like no one knows when this problem will be fixed.... sounds like someone screwed up really bad. Another Water Gate in progress.....???

[GCR18]

We are very vulnerable when these things happen. It always scares me. If they really do turn off the water, fill your garbage cans with water for the toilet. Then it's out of the way and don't have to worry about it if you have pets. Prayers coming your way.

[Fifi1]

You're all over the nat'l news, which hopefully gets more recognition for recovery! Take care!

[luvboyds]

Hi everyone! I am sorry that I'm just getting back here to check in. Yesterday I spent most of the day gathering in water, supplies and food to fix so there is minimal dishes to clean up. I also got water and things for my parents. My dad has Alzheimer's so they can't get out to get anything.

Here is what is going on now. The contamination levels are going down. The ppm (parts per million) has to be 1.0 and below before the water is safe enough to use. The are testing it several times a day with at least 100 samples from different places. As of last night they were getting readings of 1.0 and below but....it has to stay that way for at least 24 hours and as of now it's not doing that. There are times when the ppm has gone up. They think that might be because of the sludge in the river and it washing up onto the banks.

We have FEMA here along with different church groups and organizations bringing in water. Some supplies of paper products and sanitizing wipes have been coming in as well. Two FEMA truck drove by my house yesterday and it nearly had me in tears to see help coming in. Everyone here is coming together and helping each other which has been amazing. No one seems to be worried about not getting water, which is really good

There are a few restaurants who are opening that can get enough water to them to serve people. They have to get permit forms from the Healthy Dept before doing anything. Most everyone is dealing with it with frozen dinners, sandwiches and things that don't take much water to clean up.

It is going to take several more days before anyone can get their hopes up. The water company is crediting those of us that are exposed to this leak the amount of water it's going to take to flush our systems out. We will have to drain our hot water tanks and fill up again. Not sure if we will have to replace them or not yet. It all depends on this testing that comes back.

As far as what happened....there was some type of wall they said was deteriorating they are saying. The leak might have started escaping through it and went unnoticed. I don't think they really know for sure though. There are people coming tomorrow to do some type of inspections at Freedom. Can't remember who they are right now for sure. They say they have inspected the tanks regularly but had they done this they would have found the leak in my opinion. Erin Brockvich and her team are also involved in this matter now. I saw that posted on her FB page.

I want to thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers as we try to get through this horrible ordeal. It means so much to know prayers are going up for our state. I will check back in sooner now and give you updates as I find out anything.

Have a great Sunday!

[Venezia]

Glad to hear that you're coping, luvboyds. You'll get through it - it will just take time and patience.

And I also hope that this company is absolutely held responsible! (If Erin Brockovich's team is on it, you can be sure they will be.)

[Lacey1]

Thanks for the update. I'm also glad you are managing.

I saw on the news that the business owners might be allowed to apply for no-interest federal loans. Who needs another loan? They should be fully reimbursed for their losses.

[Perkup]

We can emphasize with you. Hurricanes wipe out our water supply - at least we can't get any for a while. After Katrina it took three weeks. Hope yours comes around sooner than that - no way to explain how terribly inconvenient and challenging this can be.

We learned a long time ago to keep a good supply of bottled water on hand. Not enough for a bath, but enough to brush your teeth and keep you hydrated for a month. We figure at least four bottles per day per person. It may seem like a lot, but it's amazing how thirsty you can get when there's no water. More, of course, if there are small children or infants involved. And don't forget pets. They have to have water also.

[luvboyds]

Here is an update from what I posted earlier today.

Press Conference Update: The levels have looked good for past 24 hours. They are now ready to move on to flushing out the system and will start with Charleston, then Kanawha City and then South Ridge so they all the hospitals are taken care of first. People are reporting issues with toilets gaskets blowing in the areas that has been flushed. Keep an eye out for this if your area is being flushed. A website will be set up to allow everyone to view their home and if it's red then you are still under the band but if it's green you will be able to start your flushing and details will be provided on how to do this. Schools will be closed tomorrow to give staff training on who to clean the schools but they hope to have schools open again on Tuesday. There was no EPA permits for the chemical because it was not a processing plant but only a storage unit. This means it was not under EPA inspections. Good news is we are slowing working our way back. Hang in there a little longer

[FallowedGround]

That is good news. Finally, light at the end of the tunnel. I'll keep praying until it's completely over for you all. As you said, we hope no one gets sick.