MANSFIELD, Arkansas — The city of Mansfield has been without water for five days after a winter storm last week caused a leak in the Mansfield Municipal water system.
"It's a state of emergency, and I'm not saying that lightly," Mansfield resident Lisa Lennon said. "I think everybody that's here feels that way. I mean, people are using pond water to flush their toilets."
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, 20 people showed up to the Elm Park rest area to express their frustrations with ongoing problem. They said they believe help will only come if more people see how badly they are being affected.
Around 400 homes have had zero access to water since last Friday, Jan. 19.
Residents told 5NEWS the city has told them only two men have been looking for the leak along the water line.
"The governor should send somebody by now. These are elderly people that live here," Steve Hattabaugh, who was accompanied by many members of his family including his 88-year-old mother, said.
While weather isn’t something the city can control, residents feel like the city has fallen short on finding the leak and getting water back up and running.
"I understand they're having to turn it back on slowly," Wes Barnes said. "They need to inform us of what's going on and keep us informed."
The Fort Chaffee National Guard has been called in to distribute water to residents at the local fire department. Since Saturday morning, they’ve distributed just under 2,000 gallons to about 100 residents.
However, some residents still think pressure needs to be placed on restoring water.
"We can't get out of our driveways with ice on the road to get to Mansfield, to get the water," Joyce Hattabaugh said.
"You've heard all these dire situations, but we just like for people that believe in prayer, please pray for us," Betty Hunhucker adds. "We're really good at neighboring here, but there's some people that are elderly, and it's hard to get out on the roads ... and they're gonna need some help fixing the pipes now. So just pray for the workers and all of us down here."
Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black told 5NEWS the Mansfield Municipal water tanks are full and service is now restored to about 30% of the city. He says he’s hopeful the entire city will have water by Wednesday, Jan. 24.
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