Gas Service Restored At Astoria Houses After 11-Week Outage

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Dozens of Astoria Houses residents can finally use their stoves again, after an 11-week cooking gas outage finally came to an end Thursday, officials said.

The outage, which was reported Sept. 23, affected tenants in four dozen apartments at 1-04 Astoria Boulevard within the public housing complex.

Asked about the reason for the length of the outage, a spokesperson for the New York City Housing Authority said city laws and building codes were made more stringent after two fatal gas explosions in 2014 and 2015, extending the timeline for safely restoring gas service after an issue.

NYCHA staff also had to coordinate with all the building's residents to arrange a test run and reattach appliances, the spokesperson said.

"Restoring gas for private or public housing is a multi-pronged process that involves numerous steps, including shutting off the gas, visiting the units for a scope of the work needed, making necessary repairs, investigating for asbestos, getting permit and inspection approval from our city partners and then coordinating with the utility company to safely turn the gas back on," a NYCHA spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement to Patch.

The Fire Department shut off the building's gas line after NYCHA staff detected a gas leak between the third and fourth floors on Sept. 22, according to the spokesperson.

NYCHA then hired an outside company to visit the building and put together a list of necessary repairs to the gas piping, which dates back to 1951.

Workers finished asbestos abatement in November, then installed gas risers this month. Gas service was turned back on after a final inspection earlier this week.

NYCHA gave residents hot plates to use to cook during the outage, but residents complained that the public housing authority provided them with little-to-no information on the reason for the outage and when the gas would be turned back on.

“While I am pleased these residents now have service restored, this whole episode represents an unacceptable failure from NYCHA,” State Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents Astoria, said in a prepared statement. “Thanks go out to the residents, their association leadership, and countless activists for their tireless attention to this issue. We will continue working together to stand up for NYCHA tenants."

Volunteers stepped in to help Astoria Houses tenants by distributing crockpots and food during the weeks-long outage, including over Thanksgiving.

This story has been updated with a response from NYCHA.