Thousands of water bottles handed out as Clayton County neighbors still don’t have water

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Communities in the metro Atlanta area announced plans to host water distribution events for a second day amid water system issues.

The City of Forest Park hosted the event on Tuesday in the Forest Park Recreation Center parking lot on Forest Parkway.

Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach was at the event and spoke with families who say they’re trying to be patient, but not having water makes life hard.

“It is rough. Yesterday wasn’t running at all. Today it’s running slowly,” Candice Harris said.

Not having water means Harris and thousands of others can’t cook, brush their teeth, shower or flush the toilet.

“The worst part is the toilet,” she said.

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The water issues began after the metro Atlanta area experienced record-breaking cold temperatures.

Residents attending the event must show proof of residency to receive a case of water.

“It makes it inconvenient for a lot of folks. All we’re trying to do is be a service to the community and let them know we’re here and we know they’re going through a lot and we’re here to help,” said Forest Park spokesperson Javon Lloyd.

Volunteers from Forest Park police, fire and public works passed out one case of water to each car.

On Monday, volunteers quickly gave away a couple hundred cases of water, so they requested a truckload from the Georgia Emergency Management Association. GEMA delivered nearly 1,600 cases, which equals approximately 38,000 bottles of water.

“Thank you so much for providing what we need to at least have some comfort,” Eric Ware said.

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The boil water advisory is still active for Clayton County.

Officials said after crews went to work on the issue, they were able to restore water pressure for the rest of the area; however, a boil water advisory is still in effect for customers who lost water pressure completely or believe that they still have low pressure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a boil water advisory, customers should do the following:

• Fill a pot with water
• Heat the water until bubbles come quickly from the bottom of the pot to the top
• Keep heating the water for another minute
• Turn off the heat source and let the water cool
• Pour water into a clean, sanitized container with a cover for storage

For more information, click here.

To report a water service outage, call the Clayton County Water Authority at 770-960-5200.

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