Brad Vest/Getty Security personnel outside the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plan in Jackson, Miss.
Residents of Jackson, Miss., are currently battling through a water crisis that one woman says "has been building for decades." Having children at home makes it even more difficult.
Mom Brooke Floyd, 43, tells PEOPLE that many of her fellow Jackson residents are both "angry and frustrated" after being left without reliable running water for more than a month.
Jackson has been under a boil water order for over 30 days due to issues with the water system, which has left some residents with little to no water at all. The problem was exacerbated by the recent flooding of the Pearl River, which resulted in a temporary decrease in water production across the city.
RELATED: Here's How Mississippi Residents Are Coping During the Jackson Water Crisis
Deneka Samuel, a mom of six children ages 4 to 19, says it can be challenging at times during the crisis, and is hoping to see improvement soon.
"It's hard and it's a struggle, but we're going to keep on and keep on and keep on fighting," she tells PEOPLE.
The water went completely out on Monday, according to Floyd, a mother of four, including 6-year-old twins. "We turned on the faucets and there wasn't any water," she says, explaining that it's since come back sporadically.
What water has been coming into Samuel's house has been brown, leaving her in a constant cleaning frenzy to ensure her kids aren't coming in contact with it. "I have to make sure I keep my house sanitized," she says. "I clean up every day so there won't be [any] bacteria or germs. And I have to watch my kids closely so they don't touch the water in the sink and get sick."
Basic tasks like cooking, bathing or even going to the bathroom have become massive chores for Samuel. She cooks and has everyone brush their teeth with bottled water and uses jugs of water to fill the toilet before flushing (toilet paper, she says, goes in a bag for worries of the pipes backing up).
Read Full Article On Yahoo.