Amalia's Home

Amalia is 92 years of age and is a lifelong resident of the Albuquerque area.  She is the widow of a World War II Veteran.  She received a water bill from the Albuquerque Water Utility Authority, for $5,033.37, dated June 7, 2018.  It turns out a pipe burst underneath her very modest home located in the SE Heights of Albuquerque, and 679,184 gallons of water poured into the crawlspace underneath the house.  Amalia is hard of hearing and she was not able to hear the water leak.  The Water Authority never notified her of the high consumption until they sent a letter attached to the $5,033.37 bill.  The 679,184 gallons of water accumulated in the crawl space underneath her home and caused the foundation to sink resulting in structural damage. There are now visible cracks in several places inside of her home, the kitchen cabinets are seperating from the walls, and two interior doors no longer close because the foundation has shifted so much. After several conversations with the Albuquerque Water Utility Authority, they have since graciously agreed to waive the entire charge and for that we are greatful. However, Amalia still has to repair the plumbing and all of the foundation and structural damage that was done to her home as a result. Amalia has resided in this home since 1972 and she is very low income.  She has contacted numerous community service agencies for assistance, but has not had any luck. The repairs she is faced with are estimated to be a large amount of money and the community service agencies resources are limited.  She has been a loyal customer of Allstate for her homeowners insurance for decades; however, Allstate will cover absolutely nothing. Amalia is somehow going to be responsible for the plumbing repairs, the repairs to the foundation and the structural damage.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.