Action demanded after NYCHA residents have experienced heat, hot water outages since Ida
WOODSIDE, Queens (WABC) -- As the temperatures drop, lawmakers and tenants want NYCHA to permanently fix heat and hot water issues at a development in Queens.
They say those utilities are regularly out of order at the Woodside Houses after Hurricane Ida flooded the main building where the heating plant is located last year.
The repairs were supposed to be wrapped up in April.
Elected officials say the city can't keep breaking its promise.
"If it was any other landlord they would have too many fines to even be a landlord anymore, this is unacceptable," said NYC Councilmember Julie Won.
About 2,900 tenants say they have experienced regular outages since Ida. They say they have lost heat at least 11 times and have been without hot water at least 21 times.
NYCHA has set up three mobile boilers as a temporary fix but tenants say the boilers are unreliable.
NYCHA said it has spent $1.4 million on the boiler and released the following statement:
"NYCHA has spent more than $1.4 million dollars to repair the boiler at Woodside Houses, which was compromised by decades of deterioration and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida. Our staff installed three mobile boilers after the hurricane, which have been providing heat consistently, and have since been working with the Department of Buildings, Con Edison, and several heating and plumbing teams to ensure that our boilers are fully operational."
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