Upper West Side Businesses, Residents Still Dealing With Water Main Break Aftermath Days Later
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Many Upper West Side businesses are still dealing with the aftermath of a massive water main break.
On Monday, water cascaded into the streets near Lincoln Center, causing serious damage to nearby buildings and cars.
Down slippery, muddy steps, CBSN New York's Dave Carlin toured basement after basement after the massive flood.
Days later, businesses are still closed, including banks and bodegas.
A 300-seat college auditorium is a total loss and groups that use it are forced to find other venues.
Harmony Cleaners is staying open, but barely, says owner Sam Baek.
Baek says he doesn't know what he's going to do.
"Pick up and delivery," he said.
Below his business, the basement is a maze of dangerous debris and missing walls.
Cleaning crews wearing protective clothing and masks still scrub and haul out trash that used to be treasure.
"All the storage units are gone," Upper West Side resident Jessie Stergiou said.
She said her family lost "lots of stuff," including their bicycles and a family car.
It was among several that were underwater in a parking garage.
"I did have a car and I don't have a car anymore," Stergiou said.
- To file a claim with the New York City Comptroller's Office, visit comptroller.nyc.gov.
Mary Wytko is on the board for her building, Lincoln Plaza Towers, working out logistics to replace a laundry room and other amenities.
"A lot of insurance claims and that kind of thing," she said.
Some people in the area close to Lincoln Center will endure months of construction noise.
The city is still not clear what caused the 3-foot-wide water main to buckle and blow.
The lead agency, the City's Department of Environmental Protection, told CBS2 the broken section of pipe is at a laboratory, but results are not expected for a number of weeks.
With elevators not working at the 27-story Allegro Condos, many residents are staying elsewhere.
Many were also driven out by the lack of heat in the tower.
In the meantime, residents are waiting for "back to normal" without knowing exactly when that will be.
