Residents still feel impact of massive Kingsessing water main break a week later
Residents still feel impact of massive Kingsessing water main break a week later
Residents in Kingsessing are still feeling the impacts of a massive water main break that sent millions of gallons rushing through city streets. The Philadelphia Water Department said there is no timeline on when the repairs will be made.
PHILADELPHIA - Residents in Philadelphia's Kingsessing neighborhood are still feeling the impacts of a massive water main break a week after millions of gallons flooded city streets.
According to officials, a 48-inch water pipe buried underneath the intersection of 56th Street and Springfield Avenue for more than a century burst forth around 6 a.m. on Feb. 9.
Millions of gallons of water soon inundated several blocks and rushed into surrounding basements. Some properties lost power and running water as crews scrambled to stop the geyser.
Ruth Stewart is one of the residents whose basement flooded and claimed her heating systems. She and her family, including three kids, have had to huddle together for warmth at night as repairs continue.
Meanwhile, the massive hole left by the pipe burst remains mostly unchanged except for some cement barriers and orange fencing. The Philadelphia Water Department said there is no timetable on the repair.
Philadelphia Gas Works reports all but two of its customers in the area have gas restored to their properties, but 13 of them can’t turn it on because their equipment needs work and that’s largely the responsibility of the property owner.
Jamie Gauthier, who represents the community in City Council, argued the city did well in shutting off the spewing pipe but failed some of its residents.
Gauthier said she walked the area and found "a number of people sitting in properties with no heat, no water, no electricity, and the city should have stopped in to provide those residents with more support."
In a letter to Mayor Jim Kenney, she urged Philadelphia agencies to return to the area to address needs. But the city claims it has been in the community to offer services to a wide range of needs.
Officials still have not said what caused the pipe to burst.
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