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Frozen pipe burst leads to mess at Texas apartment complex

Winter Weather Texas power grid
Posted at 7:24 PM, Feb 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-18 19:26:10-05

WACO, TX — This cold weather is leading to what some would call a "hot mess" and causing some expensive damage.

The sound of water pouring out of the attic echoes throughout Lucretia Williams' home in Waco, Texas.

The frozen pipes burst and forced the ceiling to cave in.

"I was shocked and I'm angry. I'm very angry," Williams said.

Video recorded by her friend Tanya Anderson shows the water dripping steadily six hours after it first started, infiltrating her home Monday.

"As you can see, water pouring from the ceiling," Anderson said.

It was running non-stop and soaking everything in its path. After first taking more than an hour to get it shut off, it then leaked again, lasting all night long.

The carpet feels like a wet sponge.

Williams is told a pipe burst is to blame. She said the fire department had to be called in to shut off the water when maintenance crews couldn't.

Now fast forward to Wednesday.

"The ceiling is gone. The whole entire ceiling. It's completely gone. I've lost everything in here," said Williams.

When the ceiling caved in, it also took the insulation down with it. Now there's nothing to block out the bitter cold temperatures.

"And then this hall closet here, the ceiling is gone and the floor is soaking wet," Williams said.

On top of that, Williams shared there's no running water for the entire complex.

"They haven't done anything to fix it. They haven't offered a habitable place to stay. They haven't come to do any repairs. I don't even have a bed to sleep in because it got crushed by the ceiling," she said.

The only good news, Williams has renter's insurance to cover her personal belongings.

This article was written by Joey Horta for KXXV.