RICHMOND, Va. — A system failure at Richmond's water treatment plant led dozens of businesses in the city and across Central Virginia to shutter their doors for days, unable to operate due to a lack of clean water.
Derek Kloida, a server at La Grotta Ristorante in downtown Richmond, said the crisis means major disruption for his job and family of seven.
“We have five kids, we have an 18-year-old, a soon to be 14-year-old, soon to be 8-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a soon to be 4-year-old," Kloida said.
His wife, Alina Kruse, recently received her master's degree and is currently looking for work, making Kloida's income from serving all the more important.
Kloida said the restaurant had a planned closure for the first week of the month, but the city's water crisis led the restaurant to keep its doors shut yet another week.
“We had money saved, living paycheck to paycheck, we had money saved for that time period, but not for an extra week," Kruse said.
Kloida said though he was able to get a bit of a financial cushion from his employer before the restaurant was closed for nearly two weeks, Kloida said a week's worth of wages as a server can make or break a family's budget.
Watch: Richmond business owners react to challenges caused by water crisis
“It could be anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 each week, and for others out there, it could be $500 to $1,000, and that matters after a while," Kloida said. "After so many weeks, you’re still paying back the $100 on this bill, the $200 on this bill, the $250 payment you had on this one thing."
Kloida and Kruse are left with questions for city leaders.
“What can you do for those who weren’t able to work due to businesses being shut down, and for those businesses who may not apply for government assistance to be able to pay for their employees? Like, that’s my major thing too, because that’s out of our control. We had no control over what happened," Kruse said.
They're not the only ones.
Natalie McNamara, who helps manage the Hofheimer Buiding in Scott's Addition, told CBS6 she and other business owners are waiting to see how the city responds too.
“I’m hoping they have the funds to help support us and get us back on our feet because we are the livelihood of Richmond," McNamara said.
A city spokesperson said its evaluating several options to support impacted residents and business, which could include working with federal partners like FEMA.
Kloida and Kruse say in the meantime, they'll see if they quailify for unemployment and apply for other financial supports they may qualify for, as well as push for accountability from Richmond leaders.
"I think that, a lot of those that may be in positions for maintaining these things for our city, don’t realize the ramifications if they don’t do their job," Kloida said. “What should’ve been taken care of before?” asked Kruse.
People who work in the restaurant industry can apply for assistance through the national Restaurant Workers Community Foundation or see if they qualify for unemployment benefits through the Virginia Employment Commission.
CBS6 also asked the city about a petition circulating demanding the city not charge for water use for the month of January. Though its unclear if the city will do that or offer compensation, a spokesperson told CBS6 January's water bill would be significantly lower than normal, since ratepayers are charged by usage.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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