Daughter fights for gas service at her mother's Brooklyn NYCHA building
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- Several families who live in a NYCHA building in Brooklyn say they haven’t had gas service since May, including a grandmother of 12 who just wants to cook for her family for the holidays.
Families at the Sterling-Buffalo Houses in Crown Heights say they haven't been able to use their stoves in months. For 70-year-old Raymel Terry, it’s heartbreaking. She’s known for her legendary cooking during the holidays, and having a stove is critical to her everyday routine. She and her neighbors want their gas service turned back on before Christmas.
Jamillah Terry says ten apartments are impacted. Her mom, Raymel Terry, says it’s hard for her to cook her legendary mac and cheese for her grandkids on a hot plate.
Next door, Aso Jimenez has two hot plates. She says making her famous pork chops isn’t easy without a stove. Her brother, Basilio, was helping her chopping the carrots. What should take minutes to cook now takes hours, Jimenez said. These families want answers from NYCHA.
The families are not alone in their frustration. As of Tuesday, 46 NYCHA developments have gas outages across New York City, according to NYCHA’s website. Some outages are entire buildings, while some are just certain lines.
A NYCHA spokesperson provided the following statement:
“Gas service interruptions are a matter of public safety, involving multiple partners and steps, including shutting off the gas service and making the necessary repairs and inspections. This outage affecting 10 apartments began on June 17, and is due to a leak on the gas line. NYCHA is in the scope of work phase and are working with a vendor to make the necessary repairs. Gas service interruptions affect cooking gas only and is unrelated to heat or hot water service. We have been keeping residents informed of the restoration timeline through weekly meetings and have distributed hot plates and slow cookers to residents."
NYCHA spokesperson