Flooding issues continue to plague NYCHA residents in Williamsburg. Why things have gotten worse since neighbors moved
NEW YORK - Residents of one Brooklyn NYCHA building say they've been dealing with plumbing problems for more than a year.
Sweeping water out of their homes and hallways has become a normal occurrence, they say.
Water leaking from vacant apartment floods first floor, residents say
Every few days, residents of 110 Humboldt work together to sweep ankle-deep floodwater out of their apartments, hallways and lobby.
Christine Torres lives on the first floor with her mom, three daughters and cat.
"We had neighbors from upstairs come down, and they were basically pushing it out with whatever they could find," she told CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger.
Earlier this summer, Kliger filed multiple reports on the deluge coming from Torres' next door neighbor. That neighbor, Yadira Soto, shared video of water spewing out of her bedroom wall like a faucet.
When a piece of the wall fell on Soto in July, NYCHA finally relocated the family to a new apartment, but for her neighbors, the problem didn't stop there.
The water still comes from the empty apartment and other mystery leaks in the hallway, flooding the other units on the first floor. Now, though, the door to the vacant apartment is locked and inaccessible.
During a recent flood on Friday, neighbors even had to call the Fire Department when things got scary.
"The same thing happens. The only difference is we don't have access to where it's coming from. At least when they were here, we were able to go there and help them stop the water. Now we have to wait for emergency services," Torres said.
Multiple plumbing, gas issues plague NYCHA development
CBS News New York has documented other plumbing issues at this development, including raw sewage leaking onto the sidewalk. The building has also been without gas for eight months. Tenant Association Vice President Shanequa Lewis has even gotten elected officials, like New York State Attorney General Letitia James, involved.
"I feel like if you have to live in these conditions, don't pay the rent. And then what you can do is you take your proof and you go to the courthouse and you let them know what you are subjected to," Lewis said.
A NYCHA spokesperson responded with the following statement:
"NYCHA staff monitored conditions at 110 Humboldt closely throughout Tuesday's storm and touched base with the residents of the first floor to confirm that there were no reports of flooding. We continue to monitor conditions at 110 Humboldt as we implement a regular preventative maintenance plan for the building, and throughout Borinquen Plaza II as long-term repairs to the development's plumbing system are made. Residents experiencing any flooding conditions or plumbing issues should call the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 or submit work tickets through the MyNYCHA application."
The maintenance would include using cameras to inspect waste lines and high-pressure jets to periodically flush out buildup and debris.
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