At Philadelphia explosion town hall, Nicetown residents say the city isn't doing enough to help
The City of Philadelphia hosted a Community Town Hall and Resource Event for anyone affected by last month's deadly explosion and collapse in Nicetown. But residents on Thursday said the city is not doing enough to help.
Residents who live along and near West Bristol Street in Nicetown packed Steele Elementary's cafeteria for a community resource fair and town hall with city officials, hoping to get answers.
"We need to know what the city will do and what the city will not do if we have insurance," one resident said.
A gas explosion killed a woman, injured others, and destroyed several row homes on June 29. A spokesperson for Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson confirmed that one of the injured victims works for Johnson.
Many, like Diane Sanders, who lives on Bonitz Street behind where the blast happened, are still not able to go back. L&I has demolished five properties in the area since the explosion.
"I'm not able to live in my house. My house has an orange sticker from L&I," Sanders said.
She said her insurance has been paying for a hotel, but it's not enough to cover all of her out-of-pocket costs that are piling up.
"Why do I have to spend out of pocket to go out to eat when we could be eating in our house? I could be cooking dinner, nobody wants to accept responsibility," Sanders said.
According to the fire marshal, investigators are still working to learn what caused the explosion.
"It's a gas explosion from an unknown leak we don't know where the leak as far as fair as PGW and the utility commission, they're saying it's not from their line," Dennis Merrigan, the Philadelphia fire chief marshal, said.
The city said PGW surveyed the natural gas infrastructure in the area and outside each property. The survey showed there was no indication of "an underground natural gas leak in the area."
According to the city, PGW didn't receive any calls reporting gas odors in the area before the explosion.
Donations to assist affected families are being accepted through Community Academy Philly, a block captain–led effort committed to rebuilding and restoring the neighborhood.
For now, residents are leaning on one another and community outreach groups, hoping for relief and a chance to go home as soon as possible.