Harlem residents without gas for two weeks

Even as preparations for the fall-out from Hurricane Irene are
shifting into high gear, some residents in Harlem are still contending
with the the fall-out from another, more minor incident several weeks
ago, WNYC reported. Nearly 800 Harlem residents have been without gas
since a water main break two weeks ago. Outside of public housing, 774 Consolidated Edison customers near the location of the break at 152nd Street
and St. Nicholas Avenue on Aug. 12 are still without gas. While Con Ed said yesterday it it had restored gas to the main pipe, landlords
need to fix leaky pipes before Con Ed can restore gas serve to the
remaining 50 to 60 buildings. According to a Con Ed spokesperson, the electric service company cannot gain access to many of the buildings to check whether the
pipes have passed an integrity test. Residents of a five-story
walk-up at 149th Street and Frederick Douglass boulevard said they haven’t had
gas and haven’t heard from their landlord in weeks. An SOS note
posted in the lobby read: “Lack of necessary building services since
Friday. If someone know [sic] anything let the rest of us in on it.” [WNYC]