OKC Apartment Tenants Say They’ve Been Without Water For A Month, Community Group Steps In To Help

Residents in a northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex said they haven't had running water in a month. Now a community organization called Serve the People Oklahoma are stepping in to help.

“We have people out here with high blood pressure, diabetes, and they have pets, and we don’t have water,” said Harry Lee Keels Jr. a tenant at Royal Oaks Apartments.

Tracey McCracken, another tenant, said finding other places to buy water and shower is hard because she and others are on a fixed income.

“If you want to take a shower and go to the truck stop it’s $14 for a shower, some people don’t have cars,” she said.

“We can’t even take a shower or anything we just have to use a gallon or two of water, I mean it’s crazy,” tenant Mary Longan.

Longan said she and the other fifteen tenants have been paying rent and they have no idea why they don’t have water. News 9 spoke to the property owner who said not everyone is paying.

“That’s false, they keep telling everybody they are paying,” said Juan Esparza, the property owner.

He also told News 9 only two tenants are currently paying rent.

Heather Mitts lives in the duplex across the parking lot owned by the same landlord.

“It makes me feel bad every day to see that they don’t have water. They don’t get to take a shower they don’t get to do anything,” she said. 

She has been letting tenants from across the way fill up jugs from her spigot outside.

Serve the People Oklahoma has also donated over 50 cases of water.

“I’m so thankful for that. We have just been taking it day by day really, not knowing what is going to happen,” said Longan. 

Serve the People Oklahoma said they plan to return Wednesday to hand out more water, canned food, and hygiene products.