'I've Lost Everything': Sewage Backup Floods Queens Homes, Hundreds Affected And Displaced
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A sewage backup is causing problems for hundreds of homeowners in South Ozone Park.
Work crews are on the scene in Queens Saturday night, making repairs and helping with the cleanup.
The FDNY says a main broke in the afternoon, a 42-inch pipe that caused sewage to back up into homes two miles away on Inwood Street, flooding local homes.
Between 200 and 300 homes in the area have been affected.
New York City's Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross are on scene to help homeowners who have been left with pools of waste flowing through their residences.
"The whole basement, I've lost everything. Two boilers, washing machines, heater, everything… I don't know where to start right now," Queens homeowner Angela Green told CBSN New York.
The Department of Environmental Protection is advising residents in the area to keep water usage to a minimum while crews are working to resolve the issue.
"This time of year, we get a lot of grease blockages in sewers from residents that discharge grease. We're under the assumption that it's that, but we're still working to clear it," DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said.
The Red Cross and OEM are offering hotel accommodations for affected residents and have set up an information center at nearby P.S. 223. The city says it hopes to have the blockage in the sewer removed overnight.
