Repairs continue after Brooklyn water main break that flooded subway

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS (WABC) -- Repairs and cleanup continued Friday at the Court Street subway station in Brooklyn that was flooded by a water main break.

The 12-inch main broke around 3:30 p.m. Thursday at 156 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, flooding streets and some businesses in addition to the subway.

Loud and labor-intensive work kept DEP crews busy in a deep trench on the street. Louis Tolentino, who works in the area, was surprised by the extent of the damage.

"Most of the businesses are closed now because there is no water on this block," he said. "A lot of damages to the basement. It's tough."

Water was restored to many of the 100 residents and 25 businesses that had their service cut right after the break, but three buildings were still without service Friday evening.

"Yesterday we closed, today we closed," Nanatori Restaurant manager Jason Chen said. "And we don't have power also."

Chen is just now assessing the damage.

"We don't have power, everything is damaged," he said. "(We've lost) $10,000, $20,000, something like that."

Flood waters overtook the R line, forcing the closure of the mezzanine area with entrances on Montague Street.

MTA crews were busy cleaning and repairing electrical and elevator equipment affected by the water, though the station itself drained very quickly thanks to new drain work installed after Superstorm Sandy.

"That helped us now, with an unplanned event, to move more quickly to remove the water from the tunnel and the station in order for service to resume more quickly," MTA director of communications Beth DeFalco said.

The MTA ran a test train through the station around 8 p.m., and service was restored around 8:30 p.m.