Red Hook mother says plumbing issues in apartment are impacting her family's quality of life

Maribel Reyes says plumbing issues in her apartment are causing water to leak beneath the tiles on her floor and pockets of water on her walls, which are now eroding as well.

News 12 Staff

May 4, 2022, 10:07 PM

Updated 892 days ago

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A Brooklyn mother says plumbing issues in her Red Hook apartment are causing mold to grow and water to seep through her floor tiles.
"Why do I have to go the extent and mile of reaching everyone there is to get the help that we need? Because this is not livable conditions," Maribel Reyes says.
She adds that she's been living with the situation for almost three months.
Reyes says plumbing issues in her apartment are causing water to leak beneath the tiles on her floor and pockets of water on her walls, which are now eroding as well.
"If you touch it, you can see water's coming out of it. And they're also close to outlets, which is very dangerous, that if any water hits the outlet, it could catch a fire," she says.
Reyes lives in the apartment with her two children. She says she's called New York City Housing Authority time and time again to place tickets for service repairs only for nothing to be done.
"They actually made a ticket for the plumber on March 13, and they closed it. I asked the housing office why would they close it, no one came. 'Oh, I don't know, I have to look into that.' This is my fourth time. This has been 2 1/2 months. What's going on?" she says.
She says her apartment is now filled with mold and asbestos, and she's worried about her family's quality of life.
"Worried every day because we don't know what we're inhaling, we don't know what we're breathing. I don't know if my daughter's getting sick and it's just due to this, or if my son's getting sick, it's due to this. I'm very worried about that," Reyes says.
Reyes hopes a permanent fix will come soon so her family can live comfortably once again.
News 12 reached out to NYCHA to see if there is a plan to fix the issues in Reyes' apartment and is waiting to hear back.