Burst pipe floods NYCHA apartments in East Harlem on Christmas

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Some residents of an all-senior NYCHA building in East Harlem dealt with no heat and flooding issues amid freezing temperatures over the holiday weekend.

Older residents at the UPACA 6 on Lexington Avenue are frustrated. Residents said a pipe burst on the fourth floor which impacted several apartments, including 82-year-old Iris Cabral’s living room.

Cabral recently lost her husband of 60 years. It was Cabral's first Christmas without her husband, which also happened to be his birthday. She was grieving and freezing cold mopping up the mess.

Though the pipe burst on the fourth floor, water got everywhere in Cabral's second-floor apartment. Her neighbors rallied around her on Monday, but the damage was already done. The water destroyed Cabral’s couch and soaked her closet. Even the notebook where she keeps track of her repair tickets was ruined.

In addition to the wet mess, Cabral has no heat. Some of Cabral’s neighbors say they are all freezing as well.  

Some residents packed the building lobby to vent their frustration. Louise Mason, 81, said she is also cold at night.

On Monday afternoon, there were seven NYCHA developments across New York City with heat and/or hot water outages, impacting more than 9,500 residents.

A NYCHA spokesperson provided the following statement.

“NYCHA staff is on site, and we are working to isolate a valve to address heat issues at this building. There are no flood conditions at this time, but staff are working to address a no hot water issue, which is partially affecting heat as well. We will continue to address the issue until it is resolved.”