Water Main Break In Astoria, Queens Forces Dozens Out Of Their Homes
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – It's become a wet weekend for dozens of Queens residents and it had nothing to do with the weather.
As CBS2's Ilana Gold reported, homeowners woke up to flooded basements after a water main break in Astoria.
Tens of gallons of water were being pumped out of Carina Minos' home on 23rd Street and 24th Road Saturday.
"We have to throw everything out," she said.
And she's not the only one dealing with the huge mess. Early Saturday morning, around 30 homes were flooded across several blocks.
"It's turning into a disaster," Alami Binani said.
It was a disaster Jimmy Panagiotou couldn't ignore.
"It was crazy. I just got home from work and all of a sudden I see water gushing out," he said.
He snapped pictures of water rushing into the home across the street and didn't think twice about running in to rescue his handicapped neighbor.
"We saved an old man with water up to his neck. He's paralyzed in his chair," he said.
As Gold reported, there is so much water inside some of the homes, homeowners say they can't salvage anything and have lost everything they own.
"It's very bad, very bad," Fotini Katelas said. "I'm shaking all over."
The flooding has forced dozens of families out of their homes. CBS2 reported seeing many standing in the bitter cold for hours with no heat or power.
"We don't have water for drinking and light to see," Angela Panagiotou said.
Investigators do not know exactly what caused the water main break, but say recent construction could be to blame.
The homes' electricity is now on, but many are still waiting for water, heat and gas to be turned on and are staying elsewhere.
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