NYCHA residents fed up after spending 2 weeks without hot water inside apartments

Jim Dolan Image
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
NYCHA residents frustrated over lack of hot water
Dozens of NYCHA apartments in the Sotomayor houses in the Bronx have been without hot water for a total of 14 days since the end of October. Jim Dolan spoke to the residents.

SOUNDVIEW, Bronx (WABC) -- Dozens of NYCHA apartments in the Bronx have been without hot water for two weeks, and residents say they are at their wits' end.

"I have to go in the kitchen, boil a big pot of hot water and transport it from the kitchen to the bathroom to make enough water to bathe," resident Renee Abdean said.

Making matters even worse, Abdean says she is legally blind and is afraid that she night slip and fall and burn herself.

Abdean lives in the Sotomayor houses in the Bronx and her entire building, more than 50 apartments, have been without hot water for a total of 14 days since the end of October.

"They're working on it, they're working on it. That's the only answer you get," Abdean said.

At a protest at City Hall, NYCHA residents from across the city came to urge the city to do something about the crumbling plaster and leaking pipes and thousands of repairs that have been left undone.

Protesters at City Hall called on the mayor and for NYCHA to improve its repair process and how it maintains the city's aging government housing. Dan Krauth has the story.

Back in the Sotomayor houses, Carlos Gonzales, who lives in the building with his wife and daughter, is just trying to get by.

"I have emphysema. I have cancer," Gonzales said.

What is frustrating for residents is that it may not even cost all that much to fix the problem.

Residents say the building has a brand new boiler and it produces plenty of heat. It's just not giving them hot water.

Eyewitness News called NYCHA Tuesday night about the issues in the building.

As of Tuesday evening, a crew did start pumping out a flood in the basement that led to the problem.

It was not clear when the hot water would be restored.

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