City Says It's 'Working Day And Night' to Restore Gas at Red Hook Houses Building

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — A spokeswoman with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) said the agency's employees and contractors "are working day and night" to restore cooking gas "as quickly as possible" to a public housing building in the Red Hook East complex. However, the spokeswoman could not provide a specific date when the work will be completed, saying only that complex jobs such as this one often take weeks.

A total of 114 units in the building, located at the intersection of Hicks Street and Bush Street, have been without cooking gas since Dec. 1, National Grid and NYCHA confirmed this week. The gas was initially shut off by NYCHA personnel following a reported leak, a NYCHA spokeswoman said. A subsequent investigation and legally mandated asbestos check found the toxic substance either in or around the building's gas pipes, the spokeswoman said, though she didn't know precisely where it was found.

As a result, NYCHA is currently replacing the building's gas service pipes, including those leading into apartments, she said. After the work is complete, air quality tests will be performed in apartments to ensure no asbestos is present, the spokeswoman said, and pressure testing will be done on the pipes. Only then can National Grid be called in to restore gas service to the property.

The spokeswoman said complex jobs like this one involve contractors, labor both within and outside of apartments, and permitting processes, but she added that NYCHA is working with city agencies to expedite the process.

"Even with the holidays, we're working on this every single day," she said.

NYCHA also said it distributed hot plates to affected residents, and is working with Meals on Wheels and other city agencies to ensure that those who need food, such as senior citizens, receive it.

Pictured at top: outside the impacted NYCHA building. Photo by John V. Santore.