Dozens of South Ozone Park residents remain displaced after sewage backup

Three weeks after a massive sewage backup damaged over a hundred homes in a section of South Ozone Park, many residents say they are still displaced and are searching for answers.

The city says it has accepted the blame for the collapsed pipe which caused the flooding, but now residents need to rebuild parts of their homes. On Saturday, they visited State Senator James Sanders’ office to meet with the Department of Financial Services to find out what options they have going forward.

“They pretty much go over the claim in terms of how it should be filled out, what should be filled out, what things to itemize,” said Khari White, President of the South Ozone Park Civic Association.

With 54 homeowners still displaced, most are still trying to decide what type of coverage, if any, they have. 

“A lot of people have flood insurance as opposed to sewage insurance,” White said.

And time is running out for those affected, with their residency at nearby hotels ending in just over two weeks.