HAZLETON, Pa. -- People in Hazleton are dealing with the effects of a water main break Tuesday night.
A 10-inch main broke just after 11 p.m. Tuesday along East Fourth Street and Perry Court in Hazleton.
Neighbors say water started pouring down the street, flowing down to Diamond Avenue.
Holy Family Academy, Luzerne County Head Start/Hazleton, Arthur Street Elementary, and Hazleton Elementary Castle grades 3 through 6 were closed Wednesday due to the water main break.
Empty schoolyards and "closed" notices posted outside restaurants are just some of the fallout after a 10-inch water main break cut off water from many homes and businesses on the city's north side.
"About 5:30, I woke up to use the bathroom and get a drink and there was just no water pressure in the tap. Not much you can do about it at 5:30 in the morning. About 10 a.m., I ended up calling the Hazleton City Authority and they told me there was a main break," Christine Mahers said.
Officials with the Hazleton City Authority say the break happened around 11 p.m. Tuesday. More than 12 hours later, crews were still working to fix it, but the main feeds a major pump station that supplies schools in the area with water. Without water, the schools had to close.
"That explains why it's not so busy on my street because I'm right here by Arthur Street Elementary," Mahers said.
Students who had the day off from school because of the water main break tell Newswatch 16 they made the most of it
"I ate Little Caesar's," Dominic Salvador said.
"I played (soccer) with my cousins," Kevin Martinez said.
Maher says there could be worse reasons for the schools to be closed.
"I recently moved up here from Florida, so it's not a hurricane or a tornado, so that's something to be grateful for, and it's being resolved in a day that's fantastic."
Although the break is fixed, the Hazleton City Authority says homes and businesses in the area are on a boil water advisory until further notice.
If you can't get out to get bottled water on your own for drinking or cooking, contact the Hazleton City Authority for assistance at 570-454-2401.
The superintendent for the Hazleton Area School district says the schools that were closed Wednesday can still operate under a boil water advisory and will be back in session on Thursday.
For a list of school closures, click here.