Pelham Gardens homes burdened with flood repairs

Many Pelham Gardens families are struggling to save their homes after extensive flood damage literally left their homes cracked and sinking into the ground. Jorge Lopez says he first noticed cracks in

News 12 Staff

May 4, 2007, 10:38 PM

Updated 6,371 days ago

Share:

Many Pelham Gardens families are struggling to save their homes after extensive flood damage literally left their homes cracked and sinking into the ground. Jorge Lopez says he first noticed cracks in his house after the heavy rains in mid-April. Since then Lopez says the cracks have multiplied, so much that the New York Department of Buildings ordered a partial evacuation. Lopez says several houses in the neighborhood are suffering from similar damage. One of his neighbors was forced completely out of his home until repairs are completed. Many residents say on top of being forced out of their homes, they are left with large repair bills when insurance companies won't cover costs. The local community board is working with the city to try to get residents low-interest loans or grants to cover costs. While engineers haven't determined exactly what caused the damage to homes, one contractor believes the water settled, causing the ground to shift.