Thousands of residents of a Harlem public housing complex were left without water and heat Friday night into Saturday afternoon due to a water main break.
The water main at Rangel Houses burst around 5:30 pm Friday, inconveniencing the complex’s 3,000 residents in the heart of winter, tenants said. Service was fully restored around 3 pm Saturday.
Such breakdowns are all too common at the 984-apartment New York City Housing Authority site. Water is needed to help run the heating system.
Mayor Eric Adams showed up Saturday as workers were fixing the failed piping.
Bernadette McNear, president of Tenant Association, praised the new mayor for showing up to see the problems in the archaic, nine-building complex first-hand — unlike many of his predecessors.
“I’m very happy he came, McNear told The Post. “This is not something that just started. This has been a year after year after year thing.”
“Basically it has been heat and hot water,” she added. “It’s always when the weekends come; when the temperature drops. All of a sudden we have no heat; there is no hot water.”
Rep. Adrian Adriano Espaillat, who represents the Bronx and Manhattan, was also on site and gave the mayor, a fellow Democrat, some props: “To have the mayor here within 24 hours and get things done, it gives me hope that NYCHA could be again functional.”