Cleanup continues after drill punctures hole in Brooklyn water main
BOERUM HILL, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The cleanup continues Thursday and could last days after a drill punctured a hole in a massive water main in Brooklyn.
Three buildings had to be evacuated because of the damage, and residents are in emergency housing as they await repairs.
Surveillance video shows the moment that water main ruptured on 4th Avenue and Warren Street in Boerum Hill just before noon Wednesday, with work crews drilling when they hit the 72-inch main.
But the worker continues drilling even as water began bubbling up in to the street.
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The corner store and cleaners are back open after suffering minor damage, but the entire block lost power and water, and there buildings had significant basement flooding.
One store owner said they lost some merchandise, but they were lucky an order had been delayed otherwise it would have all been lost.
"I think we are very lucky, and no one was hurt," she said.
Newscopter7 was overhead, showing the gushing onto the street. Buses were rerouted, while firefighters worked for hours to get to the source.
The damage is expected to take days and possibly even weeks to repair.
"I'm feeling very bad, I feel like crying," building owner Razzaq Chaudry said. "My basement, every place has full water. I have a lot of materials are damaged. I have full water in my basement. No electric, no hot water, no gas in my building."
The Department of Buildings said all of the evacuated buildings are structurally sound, though it's not yet clear when residents will be allowed to return.
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