DOZENS of residents were forced to evacuate their homes when a water line exploded a week before Christmas, turning busy streets into terrifying scenes.
The 48-inch water main break flooded apartments, totaled cars, and left roads submerged in New York City.
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Officials said the water began rushing down the street in Bedford Park in the Bronx at around 7:30 pm on Monday.
The emergency left cars underwater, bags of garbage floating, and hundreds of neighbors without water in the hours after the disaster.
Resident Rafael Casanova recalled the horrifying experience to CBS affiliate WCBS-TV.
“It was scary because it looked like a tidal wave coming down the street,” Casanova said.
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“Never seen like that before.”
The next day, crews spent hours pumping water out of apartments and clearing mud from the streets.
The Department of Environmental Protection confirmed to The U.S. Sun that all roads have since been reopened and all tenants have water service again.
However, the break left some households in the area without heat, gas, and electricity.
Residents Kaylor and Nelson McLaren and their kids were stuck without lights and electricity, leaving them with a fridge that won’t stay cold.
“It’s really dark and I have young children,” Kaylor told WCBS-TV.
“I also have a newborn who’s sleeping at the moment.”
Bronx resident Jessica Acea said she was “distraught” by her belongings that were damaged in the flooding.
“Destroyed, it’s ruined, everything,” Acea said.
Plus, the flooding displaced at least one apartment building where a wall inside buckled.
It was scary because it looked like a tidal wave coming down the street.”
Rafael Casanova
The Red Cross told WCBS-TV they were helping at least 11 households with temporary housing after the emergency.
The exact amount of households affected by the break is unclear.
The Office of Emergency Management didn’t immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
OLD INFRASTRUCTURE
Officials shut off water in the area at first to address the problem, which started when a line from the 1890s ruptured, the DEP said.
DEP Deputy Commissioner of Public Affairs Beth DeFalco said officials had to shut off 20 different water valves to shut off the water mains.
“Yes, the infrastructure is old. Just because it’s old doesn’t necessarily mean it’s falling apart, usually it has to do also with the material that it’s made out of,” DeFalco said.
Zachary Iscol, OEM commissioner, said officials are working around the clock to ensure the safety of tenants.
“Every single one of these buildings, as we bring the gas back on and the power back on, there’s individual assessments that need to be done to make sure that we’re doing it in a safe manner in addition to all the work that’s being done to clean up the street,” Iscol said.
“So really an incredible interagency work being done today by all of the different agency crews that are out here.”
EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND
NYPD towed cars stuck in the street after the rupture.
Officials said any businesses damaged in the flooding can contact 311 to fill out a property damage or loss claim form.
“Right now what we’re doing is waiting for the water to recede,” Ischol said.
“We can then understand any impacts to buildings in the affected area, businesses in the affected area and especially a lot of the underground infrastructure.”
No injuries were reported in the incident.
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