...needs bottled water as soon as the roads are passable. What I have seen are people with buckets walking to their homes. A gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds. Water distribution in that manner will prohibit the elderly from obtaining it.
Any sort of door to door effort by authorities or volunteer group will accomplish many task including water delivery as well as turning off running water at the street. Every home and apartment with broken pipes will have to have there water turned off in order to build up pressure. Repairing the water main alone will not provide relief.
It is going to take time for homes to dry out and replace pipes. There will be a health concern in the long view of mold and fungus developing in walls. Saturated carpeting is probably not salvageable. Wood floors will warp and can be a health concern, too. This is an enormous housing problem and tents maybe an answer in the short term.
Concrete and brick foundations will need inspection regularly as hairline cracks can become foundation problems. This is more than flood damage, this is frozen water damage, too.
