DALLAS — Nearly a week after a water line ruptured inside The Merc, a high-rise apartment building in downtown Dallas, residents remain displaced, and new frustration is setting in.

The Oct. 2 leak did major damage to parts of the 30-plus-story building and caused what Dallas Fire Rescue described as a massive electrical short.

“There was 5 to 6 inches of water on the floor,” said a resident named Justin, who asked that his last name not be public.

Firefighters escorted Justin to his apartment the day the line ruptured so that he could grab some clothes and electronics. He has spent every night since staying with various co-workers and friends.

“Thank God I have a good community,” he said outside the building on Wednesday, hours after a new email arrived in his inbox.

The email from

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