Water woes continue for Long Beach residents

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Just one day after the Nassau County Department of Health issued a boil water advisory for the city of Long Beach, water is selling out just about everywhere, leaving some residents scrambling to get more.

“I actually had to go to the West End to buy water last night, because we were all out of water here in the West Home area of Long Beach,” said Joyce Coletti, a longtime resident.

The county and the state have provided the city with more than 50,000 bottles of water for residents to drink, wash dishes and brush teeth with.

All of this comes after an advisory was issued Friday, shortly after a sample of the city’s water supply tested positive for the bacteria E. coli.

When ingested, E. coli can cause a fever, severe stomach cramps, vomiting, and dehydration.

“Obviously, this is when we all need to come together for each other and be good neighbors and look out for people who may not know what’s going on or be able to get the water they need,” said State Senator Todd Kaminsky. 

Thousands of people will be visiting the oceanfront community to help celebrate this weekend’s “Pride at the Beach” festivities and city officials are advising visitors to have fun but heed their warnings.

“If there’s one thing about Long Beach, we come together when there’s a problem or a crisis, and that’s shown,” said Anthony Eramo, Long Beach City Council President.

A spokesperson for the Nassau County Department of Health says that the county will not be able to provide an update on the condition of the tap water until all the laboratory samples are analyzed, which could take a few more days.