Residents of Pascagoula apartment complex raise concerns about alleged unsanitary living conditions

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WXXV) — Residents of one Pascagoula apartment complex are coming forward with concerns regarding what they call unhealthy living conditions.

Tenants at the Patio Apartments on Pascagoula Street say their toilets stop working and get backed up whenever heavy rain moves through the area. This is a problem that can last for days at a time, and they have been facing this for nearly a year.

Residents are now calling for action, saying the recurring problem is creating difficult and unsanitary conditions.

“Psychologically, it’s draining. Knowing that… I mean, you’ll hear the camote — it’ll bubble. Then you’ll see the water level drop, and I’ll say ‘Expletive. It’s happening again,’” said a resident who wishes to remain anonymous.

These residents say the issue has left them with very few options but to urinate outdoors or travel to nearby stores to use the restroom.

“It’s like raw sewage. We have to cover the lid. My son and I come outside to urinate. I mean who does that unless you’re drunk, and I don’t drink anymore,” he said. “The takeaway from this is, this is third-world conditions, like you would expect in Rwanda or something, not in the United States – the most prosperous country in the world.”

“I’ll have to go to the gas station, buy something, and then use the bathroom when our toilet’s not working because it rains, or whatever,” said another anonymous resident.

Residents say maintenance crews make temporary repairs, but as soon as the next heavy rain comes, the problem returns — putting them right back where they started. They describe the repeated fixes as nothing more than a Band-Aid for what they say is a much bigger problem.

“A lot of times on the weekend we can’t get the maintenance man down here to unplug the piping, and we’ll have a backed up camote for the weekend – for however long it takes, and that’s unacceptable. We just want this problem fixed, not just a Band-Aid put on it, not a temporary fix,” said a resident. “I know plumbers cost a lot, and it’s apparent that the owners of this complex, they don’t want to spend the money – that’s my opinion. I can’t prove that. But, their maintenance man does a temporary, good job, to temporarily alleviate the problem, but not to fix the problem.”

For these residents, moving is not an easy option. One resident is disabled, while limited finances make finding another place to live difficult. So, they say they’ve had little choice but to endure the ongoing conditions, hoping a permanent solution will eventually be found.

“I’m on a fixed income right now, which means I get very little, you know, I’m on disability, I get very little per month. So, it’s really not an option to move anywhere, at any time when we want to,” he said. “This is a necessity thing. We’re both, at least I’m under the poverty level, and it’s just not an option for me, and I am disabled. It’s not an option for him. He doesn’t make a lot of money, so we’re pretty much stuck here.”

WXXV reached out to Diamond Group Property Management for comment on this issue and are still awaiting a response. We will continue to follow this story and provide any updates if and when they are available.