Water so high, it stops the mail. "If it rains," remarked the local letter carrier. "They (residents) don't get their mail, can't get down the block."
And good luck getting your garbage picked up. "I can't put my garbage out 'cause the garbage will float away," said resident Daniel Royal.
And when the mercury drops, it's downright dangerous. New mom, Crystal Jurado can't get to her car. "When it freezes," says Crystal. "I'm scared I might drop him or something when I'm coming down the stairs with him."
The problem is two fold? Their street slopes down below the water table. That means even a little water causes the seepage catch basin to over flow.
All the residents we spoke to say they've been complaining to the city for years.
Local council member, (D-Queens) James Sanders Jr. said his pleas haven't helped, "It's a safety issue. And it's got to be corrected."
At our request the New York City's Department of Environmental Protection sent out engineers. They said a permanent fix is impossible because of the street grade.
At our request a crew was sent and the residents got a new catch basin, a temporary fix.
The fix isn't a cure-all. In fact, the residents said their street flooded again this weekend. But the D.E.P. has now allocated money to make a permanent fix, which includes bringing the grade of the street up a few feet to make these floods a thing of the past. But not so fast, it could be awhile for the city to make the modifications. It will likely take a joint effort from the D.E.P. and the D.O.T. ----
Story by: Nina Pineda
Produced by: Steve Livingstone
