'Your Neighbors Need You," Community Responds After Hundreds Lose Gas

YONKERS, NY — A plea from Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano was met with an outpouring of support from the community.

When natural gas leaks were discovered at the nearly 100-year-old Palisades Towers in Yonkers, Con Edison was forced to shut off gas service to the eight buildings in the complex in the name of safety.

This left nearly 400 families without hot water or the ability to use their kitchen stoves. Spano appealed to community and business leaders to do what they could to help those affected.

The response was downright inspiring.

"Recently, as in the last day or so, Con Edison came here and they shut the gas lines off in these buildings," Spano said in an address from the property. "They need to be repaired. There's some $6 million — upwards — of repairs that need to happen. The short term problem is that we have many families — there are 400 families here — that aren't going to have access to a warm meal."

Spano said that the long-term plan is to restore natural gas service, but he asked for a community effort to help ease the discomfort for the families in the residential buildings.

"We're asking you —the business owners — if you're the owner of a pizzeria, the owner of a restaurant, the owner of a small deli or whatever you have, if you have the ability to make some food — some hot food, some sandwiches — whatever it is that you have ... so that the residents here, at least for the next two or three days will have some food available to them ... That would be a bid help. This is Yonkers call to action. It's us taking care of our own."

Spano's call to action was answered in a big way.

In fact, among others, the Yonkers Police Department, the Yonkers PBA, Yonkers Firefighters Local 628, the Office of Emergency Management, the Yonkers City Council, Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Stew Leonard's responded with Herculean efforts. Stew Leonard's brought in 300 bags of food.

"This is not easy and we know it's an inconvenience, but I appreciate Yonkers always stepping up to answer the call," Spano said of the support from the community.