Some North Carolina nursing homes remain without running water weeks after Hurricane Helene — leaving elderly residents unable to shower, wash their hands or flush the toilet without a bucket.
The situation presents unique serious problems for the senior facilities — especially given clients’ age, illnesses and weakened immune systems and the fact that disease and infection can spread rapidly from resident to resident under the circumstances.
“For two weeks, we’ve been unable to shower or wash hands,” James Greene, an 84-year-old resident at an Asheville nursing home, wrote in a letter to his family that was shared with ABC News.
“Maintaining hygiene with hand sanitizers is a constant must,” the elderly man said.
“Another example is having to pour a bucket of water [provided by agencies] into the tank of the toilet in order to flush. And keep in mind that our residents are old and not used to such physical activity.”