Corpus Christi water crisis closes schools, social media photos show long lines at stores

"It's not ever day you see the checkout line stretch all the way to the dairy products. #cctxwater," @CallerRaul. "It's not ever day you see the checkout line stretch all the way to the dairy products. #cctxwater," @CallerRaul. Photo: Twitter/Instagram Photo: Twitter/Instagram Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Corpus Christi water crisis closes schools, social media photos show long lines at stores 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Classes at all Corpus Christi schools have been cancelled and lines are wrapping around grocery stores after residents were warned not to use tap water early Thursday.

Corpus Christi officials issued a statement to its 320,000 residents saying two chemicals may have contaminated the water supply in a "back-flow incident" in an industrial area.

Resident Lisa Olivares, who lives about five blocks from the Corpus Christi Bay, said she first learned not to drink the water from a local TV news report around 2 a.m. Thursday. Since then, she's heard nothing from the city about the contamination or where it came from .

"We can't bathe, we can't do dishes, we can't wash clothes," she said. "Our city is not telling us anything."

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Lyndall Gathright, Corpus Christi Independent School District's associate director for communications, told mySA.com the city's 59 campuses cancelled classes for the day.

Gathright said he was not sure when classes will resume, but said he does not expect the cancellation to be "long-lasting."

"I'm hoping it will be resolved today," he added.

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Meanwhile, the frenzy to stock up on water to drink, cook with and bathe in continues throughout the city with residents taking to social media to air their frustrations while waiting in long lines.

H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos said the San Antonio-based supermarket chain has been shipping bottles and gallons of water on 18-wheeler trucks to its 10 stores in Corpus Christi since Wednesday night. The company is also bringing in water tankers from around the region to provide clean water for its store operations, Campos said.

Corpus Christi customers are limited to three cases of water per purchase, Campos said.

"By putting a limit on case purchases, we can make sure all customers have access to the water they need throughout the day," Campos said.

City Councilman Michael Hunter told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that it's unlikely the chemicals are concentrated enough to do harm, but officials are "taking every precaution that we can."

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Some social media comments by frustrated residents alluded to previous water issues.

"How long is this crisis going to last this time?" one user asked.

The coastal city has an aging infrastructure and in May the city issued a boil-water notice that lasted two weeks.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has a regional office with full-time staff in Corpus Christi. Spokeswoman Andrea Morrow had no information available about the contamination or the TCEQ's response.

Staff writer Brendan Gibbons and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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