Thousands of NYCHA residents complain of no heat, hot water

NEW YORK - More than 2,000 residents at the Rangel Houses in Harlem say they have been living without heat for over 24 hours as cold temperatures grip the city.

The breakdowns, which many say have become all too common, have left some residents taking extreme or even dangerous measures to stay warm.

“We have a heater, and we cut the oven on,” said Jesse Brian, a resident of the Rangel Houses. “We had heat four or five days ago, and it was warm weather then [but] when it got cold, no heat.”

NYCHA told FOX 5 NY that the problems had been largely resolved by 9 p.m. on Saturday night, but some residents say they still were without heat or hot water.

Last year, FOX 5 NY reported on multiple instances of NYCHA residents being left in the cold by malfunctioning boilers. 

“What else can we do?” Brian said. “I’m used to it.”