NEW ORLEANS — Update: As of Sunday, May 5, the May 3 precautionary boil water advisory was canceled for all affected properties, according to S&WB officials.
A day after emergency repairs were made to a large, 114-year-old water main in Uptown, residents in the neighborhood are still dealing with the aftermath.
They say their frustrations have yet to go away.
The deluge of water that rushed from a burst water main on Friday around 1 a.m. caused plenty of problems. However, the story this Saturday morning near Soniat Street and Claiborne Avenue was that things were somewhat back to normal.
"Just another boil water advisory for New Orleans," said Mark Rolison who lives right off Freret Street.
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans canceled the boil water advisory at 3 p.m. Saturday for all of Uptown, except 24 properties connected to the water main. Those remaining properties had their advisory lifted Sunday afternoon.
"Well I think it's pretty amazing, I don't really know what to think for the most part, because from what I understand it's 114-years-old," Colin Dailey, another local resident, said.
Nearby neighbors like Dailey took the day to survey what was left on the street after repairs were made.
Ashlee Sevier saw the aftermath, too.
"114 years. You had federal money from FEMA but you never got new pipes, that's absurd," Sevier said.
Sevier lives down a street on Robert Street. She said she couldn't walk her dog, her aunt missed a doctor's appointment and water came pretty close to flooding cars around her.
"It just frustrated everyone," she said.
The water also impacted the Children's Hospital, as well as local businesses beyond the flooding with the precautionary boil water advisory.
Sevier said the loss in pressure and advisory once again calls attention to why city leaders like Mayor LaToya Cantrell need to change this from being a norm.
"We've had plenty of mayors and politicians before her, but still, all-in-all money has to be spent correctly," Sevier said.
S&WB officials said they don't yet know what caused the rupture, but said their crews had been working on other sections of the system. That work could have put more pressure on weak points.
For now, folks like Sevier say all they can do is stock up on bottled water and hope the repairs hold up.
"Honestly, it was a mental inconvenience because you don't know what's going to happen when you see that flood water," Sevier said.