Sewage backs up into apartment at NYCHA complex

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Sewage backed up and started pouring out of toilets and bathtubs at NYCHA's Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side over the weekend. Residents told FOX 5 NY that it wasn't the first time.

Resident Jazmin Conyers said that, unfortunately, she knows the drill. When the toilet starts making a gurgling sound, sewage flooding soon follows. It happened again on Sunday in her family's ground-floor apartment. She said water and feces started flowing into both bathrooms.

Conyers said that leaks and flooding happen frequently. She showed FOX 5 NY a bedroom that cannot be used because of the water damage and mold. She and her family keep their own cleaning equipment to try to deal with it all but said the sewage spewing from the tub and toilet is the worst.

We saw NYCHA workers arrive with what looks like pumping equipment. A NYCHA spokesperson said that crews cleaned and sanitized the affected areas and are making repairs to the pipes to clear the stoppage.

"Management came this morning but it keeps happening, so I'm not sure what's going to happen next," Conyers said. "I don't want to assume the worst, so hopefully they fix this as soon as possible."

Residents said that the flooding can happen at any hour of the day or night without warning, which is stressful. They also said the flies and strong odor make it even more unbearable in the hot weather.