CBS 2 Exclusive: Resident Says Contractors 'Repaired' Wrong Brooklyn Roof, Left It Leaking
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Contractors recently ripped apart the roof of what they thought was a Superstorm Sandy-damaged home in Canarsie, Brooklyn – but they got the wrong roof.
And since the mixup, residents in the wrong house have been dealing with massive leaks and ceiling cave-ins.
As CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan reported exclusively Wednesday, Zennebe Milton was due to give birth this week, and she has been forced to step around rolled wet rugs, fans, and sodden blankets in her own home. She has inhaled mildew and possible toxins in the air.
"Inhaling all of that, that could cause, you know, harm to me and my unborn," Milton said.
Milton barely escaped falling debris in her bedroom, along with her niece she was babysitting. She shouted to her mother that the ceiling was caving in.
"I heard my daughter screaming. There was dust coming from the bedroom," said Milton's mother, Vanessa Blakely. "The whole ceiling had collapsed."
The collapse was triggered by rain. But Milton said it never would have happened if workers had not just mistakenly ripped apart her roof.
She recently awoke to ladders, tar and noisy equipment, and was shocked because roof repair was never ordered or authorized at her house.
"It was a mixup of addresses," Blakely said.
The roofers quickly realized their error – one digit was missing the address. They had opened the roof of 2 Paerdegat 3rd Street, rather than 2 Paerdegat 13th Street exactly 10 blocks away.
The other home belongs to Eustace Baptiste and his family, who had qualified for a new roof to replace one that had been damaged by Sandy.
"They tore the whole roof apart; took everything off, you know, and replaced the roof," Baptiste said.
He said the crews that came to work on his roof never said anything about going to the wrong house first.
Milton and her family said the roofers acted sheepishly and poorly patched their mistake. Now, the roof leaks severely whenever it rains, according to Milton.
New York Disaster Interfaith Services, which authorized the roof fix, described the incident as a deeply regrettable, honest mistake of its contractor.
"It's overwhelming and it's stressful right now. It's a major problem, you know, being that I'm going to be giving birth any day now," Milton said.
Calling the matter urgent, New York Disaster Interfaith Services also said it will deploy a licensed inspector to order repairs and resolve the issue. The organization added that the subcontractor who went to the wrong house will no longer be employed.
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