A massive water break led to huge flooding in Long Island City, leaving streets and parked cars flooded, as well as a nearby NYCHA apartment building without water for some time. NBC New York’s Gus Rosendale reports.
A water main break created a mess in one Queens neighborhood, leaving cars and streets flooded for hours.
Crews continued to work into the evening hours in an attempt to get the situation in Long Island City under control, as the water main break on Vernon Boulevard wreaked havoc on the Tuesday morning commute after it ruptured overnight.
The worst part of the flooding started on Queens Plaza South coming into Vernon Boulevard early Tuesday morning just after 2 a.m. Chopper 4 was over the scene of a block of parked cars exposed to the rising water. A number of vehicles that were partially submerged in the flood waters for more than an hour.
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The water reached 5 feet high in some parts of Vernon Boulevard. Repair crews tore up the streets to dig up the broken water main, which occurred near the NYCHA Queensbridge Houses.
It is unclear what caused the water main break. However, crew members working the scene say that another water main break occurred roughly a year-and-a-half ago at the same location.
The scene was a surprise for residents woke up to find the flooding unfold outside their doors.
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"This is crazy. It's not the first time it's happened. Like my wife said, it happened previously in January 2021," Ronald Ragbir, whose car was damaged in the water main break, told News 4 New York. "It's the same thing. Twenty-five cars on this whole strip...ruined."
Residents at the nearby Queensbridge Houses told News 4 New York that water service was shut down until crews determined the source and location of the pipe burst.
The Department of Environmental Protection said that all repairs on the water main were completed by 4:40 p.m. — more than 14 hours after the initial break — and that all water service had been restored. Work to repair the roadway would continue, however.
Multiple agencies continue to work the scene including the FDNY, the city's DEP, and other staff.
