need water...help! Please....

I'm new and this is my first post. My elec hot water tank has sprung a leak. Can't get a new one until next week. I have turned off the water to the tank (cold water inlet). I have cut the elec power to the tank. When I turn the water main on, water still sprays out of the hole in the tank. I don't know why...how is it still getting water into it? So, I don't have any water at all and I need to have at least cold water until I get the new heater. Have to be able to flush, etc. This is probably a dumb question to many of you but, I don't understand it. :-( Please help me if you can.

A couple of things come to mind, and there are probably others: if you have a hot water recirculation system, there's a cross-over somewhere that's keeping the tank pressurized; some single handle faucets when they get old can allow a cross-over between the hot and cold. The shutoff valve may not be turning the water off fully, especially if it is a multi-turn valve. You'd have a better chance of it working long term with a 1/4-turn ball valve.

Thank you. Don't think I have a recirculating system, don't know what that even is. The shut off is a round handle like an outside faucet handle. It turns around a few times to be fully closed.
Again, thanks for replying.

Try shutting the supply valves to your washing machine off (it's a good idea whenever you're not using it). A hot water recycling system runs water from the water heater through the pipes and back again so that you have hot water available immediately in the pipes, rather than water that has cooled to room temp that has to be flushed down the drain before it gets the hot you want. Depending on your pipe layout, running it can be less expensive than dumping the water.

OK, no I don't have one of those systems. I'll try to shut off the washer lines. She shower has one of those single handle things, could that be a problem, even if it's not turned on? Would it help if I shut off both the cold and hot lines to the shower in addition to the washer? There are shut-offs behind the shower to turn them off.
I am NO plumber, lol. I just kind of learn how to do things through necessity (read that disaster

I wouldn't hurt to try shutting those valves...it may make a difference.