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Residents frustrated after pipes burst in East St. Louis apartment complex

5 On Your Side took residents' concerns to the East St. Louis Housing Authority.

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Residents at an apartment complex in East St. Louis were without water for days and dealt with flood damage after pipes burst inside their building.

Photos from inside Sade Rushing's apartment on Lincoln Avenue showed water across the floors in multiple rooms.

On Friday, Rushing told 5 On Your Side a pipe burst and caused a major leakage inside her unit.

She added there was a hole in her ceiling from work being done after multiple calls to the East St. Louis Housing Authority and that she had been without water for a week.

"We were without water for probably a day in a half. The electricity was off for about a day so we had to get rooms or try to buy water or to have water," added Ernest Shaw, another resident.

Shaw and his family have lived inside the complex for nearly a year and a half and say they have experienced multiple problems.

"We've been experiencing flood for maybe about maybe a year now. We've been trying to get some help and reaching out to different agencies and different people and it seems like there hasn't been any help and it's not getting any better," he added.

Residents explained how every time there is a big downpour of rain, there is flooding in front of their doors.

They also expressed concern about the lack of communication from the East St. Louis Housing Authority.

5 On Your Side questioned the entity about the concerns.

Interim Executive Director Angela Perry acknowledged the issues and pointed to “unprecedented recording-breaking cold weather temperatures” as the variable that caused the pipes to burst.

Perry said the age of the buildings had also been a factor.

Read the full statement:

"The Housing Authority of the City of East St Louis (HAESL) values its residents and is committed to providing its tenants with exceptional and safe living conditions. 

"The unprecedented recording-breaking cold weather temperatures that hit the Nation heavily impacted everyone, but HAESL immediately took steps to address this emergency for residents whose pipes were broken.  Among other measures, we engaged and deployed additional outside plumbing contractors, delivered cases of water to the impacted tenants,  and dedicated supplemental maintenance staff to work around the clock until all services were fully restored. 

"We believe all necessary repairs have been made and that service to all of our tenants has already been restored, but we invite tenants to contact their Asset Manager to discuss any ongoing problems or other concerns they might have."

East St. Louis Housing Authority provides public housing to low-income residents throughout the area.  

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