Residents of Mitchel Houses, where a 20-story tower partially collapsed Oct. 1 due to an apparent boiler explosion, were cleared to return last Thursday — but whether they choose to go home is another matter.
Since the incident, the city has covered hotel stays for 35 households along the F and G apartments at 205 Alexander Ave. It’s now begun facilitating their return.
Conditions at home are now workable and safe, according to NYCHA. Throughout the 11-tower property, the agency said gas service is not yet restored, but heat and hot water are back on thanks to a mobile boiler, more than 1,000 hot plates and 1,000 slow cookers that have been distributed. All the affected apartments are now cleaned and tests of air quality and asbestos yielded no issues, according to a spokesperson.
“NYCHA remains committed to working with affected residents and our city agency partners and will take every step necessary to ensure the safety of residents and of the public,” a spokesperson said in a statement emailed to the Bronx Times.
However, not all affected tenants intend to come back today or anytime soon.
Outside the Mitchel Community Center, now a hub of community support, a few Conservative Party activists held a press conference to raise concerns on behalf of evacuated residents.
Serene Bilal said her friends, who live in apartment 15F of the damaged tower, plan to continue staying in a hotel even after the city stops covering the cost.
“Some of them are still hurt” and “in disbelief,” Bilal said. “When something happens to one, it happens to us all.”
Tyreek Goodman, a candidate for City Council District 8, said at the press conference that trust between NYCHA residents and the city may be permanently broken, if it wasn’t already.
“These people went through something tragic,” he said. “More needs to be done.”
Goodman called for more inspections of NYCHA buildings because tenants regularly had problems with the heat, hot water, peeling paint and cracked floors, even before the blast. “The explosion exposed a broken system,” he added.
Goodman said a third-party agency, perhaps from the federal government, should be called in to declare the damaged building safe to occupy, since the city was responsible for the explosion itself.
“Your expertise blew up in your face,” said Goodman. “The city is not best to judge whether people feel safe [to return] or not.”
Inside the community center, tenants stopped by throughout the day for food, water bottles and support.
Daniel Barber, chair of the NYCHA Citywide Council of Presidents, told the Bronx Times he does not know how many households returned to Mitchel but said “people are scared about coming back.” He added that he would not return now if he lived in the affected building.
People and pets alike are still traumatized from the blast, he said, and many residents are unhappy about using hot plates and slow cookers, which he said are “virtually impossible” for larger families or people on medically restricted diets.
Barber said on the Oct. 2 meeting with NYCHA yielded “no answers” for residents questioning how and why the explosion occurred.
Overall, Barber said many NYCHA residents do not trust the city and that it should relocate Mitchel residents who feel unable to return. But a culture of “systematic oppression” often keeps people living in poor conditions, he added.
Pamela Smith, vice president of the Mitchel Houses Tenant Association, has lived in the property since 1965 and said she’s still in disbelief about what happened.
The trauma of the explosion lingers for Smith, who said her apartment directly faces the damaged corner. “I don’t even want to look at it,” she said, adding that she now keeps the shade closed all day.
Smith said it was a “happy moment” when the hot water was restored. But she said she understands why some in the 205 tower are reluctant to return.
“It’s up to each resident, how they feel,” said Smith. “I can’t answer for them.”
In the aftermath of the disaster, Smith said strong local support from elected officials, local organizations and businesses may encourage more Mitchel residents to return. “Things are getting better. Someone is looking out for you.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
