Lack of cooking gas ruins Thanksgiving dinner for some NYCHA residents

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - NYCHA residents across four buildings were without gas going into the Thanksgiving holiday and had no way of cooking. It made hosting Thanksgiving dinner impossible.

Maximina Torres lives in 8G on 230th Street in Marble Hill. The native of Puerto Rico is 85. Her public housing unit has been without gas going on three to four months. She said the dinner table would have been set and overflowing with food and family. Instead, it sits empty.

Maximina showed us a pipe that was installed Monday. She said that gave her hope. But that the worker hasn't returned since.

NYCHA told Fox 5 that by Thursday afternoon the gas was restored to two of the four buildings and that crews are working with Con Ed to bring Maximina's building and another back online.

NYCHA also said it realizes how frustrating it is for residents to be out of gas this time of year and is doing two things to help: keeping residents directly updated and offered them hot plates. Maximina did receive a hot plate. But with a single burner, she wasn't able to cook much.

Down the hall, Luis Antonio has a different reason he couldn't host his family for Thanksgiving this year. Decaying walls showing signs of a substance that he thinks could be black mold over layers of what is possibly lead paint chipping away. He is running the AC full blast on this arctic night to try to keep the wall dry. He said it is not a place for his niece and nephew to be safe.