BRONX – It’s been more than a month since a partial building collapse at the Mitchel Houses in the Bronx — and now, as New York City saw its first snow of the season, residents there say they’re still without heat or cooking gas.
FOX 5 NY’s Antwan Lewis visited the Mott Haven complex, where tenants are bundling up indoors as temperatures dip into the 30s and 40s.
What we know:
There, NYCHA has apparently distributed hot plates and slow cookers to residents who have been without cooking gas or heat for weeks.
Signs have also been posted on apartment doors notifying residents about the ongoing outage.
The heat outage comes after a suspected gas leak caused by the explosion and partial building collapse at the complex last month. While repair work continues, many tenants say they feel forgotten as temperatures drop.
What they’re saying:
“I just have blankets, which still leaves me cold,” one tenant told FOX 5 NY. “I have lupus and fibromyalgia. Any cold conditions, I cannot live in — health-wise, I am debilitated here.”
Another resident described concerns for elderly neighbors who rely on home attendants during the day but are left alone and cold at night.
“It’s very sad,” she said. “There’s a lot of old people here who can’t move around once it gets dark.”
The other side:
In a statement to FOX 5 NY, NYCHA confirmed an unplanned heat outage at Mitchel Houses, saying crews are on site “working to restore service to residents as soon as possible,” with restoration expected today.
The agency emphasized that gas service repairs “are a matter of public safety and involve multiple partners and steps,” including shutting off service, conducting inspections, and coordinating with vendors to safely bring systems back online.
As of late Tuesday, crews were still on site, with restoration expected by the end of the day.
The Source: This reporting is based on information from NYCHA, residents and reporting by FOX 5 NY’s Awtwan Lewis.