Bronx woman's bedroom found rotting in mold. Here's why she turned to CBS New York for help.
NEW YORK -- A resident in the Bronx is dealing with unbearable amounts of mold in her apartment after she says a pipe burst back in March. It has been several months and still no repairs, so she turned to CBS New York for help.
"It was water damage. The pipes burst and it came from the whole bedroom over," Vernisa Depass said.
A step inside her bedroom and the eyesore was obvious. It had only take a few months for a door to enter such a shocking state of decay, riddled with mold from top to bottom.
"I can even smell it, even with the mask, and its also dangerous to my health," Depass said.
You can instantly smell the mold when you walk inside the room. The mold stretches from wall to wall, but the biggest problem is the door that is rotting away. Depass said she wears a mask inside her home most times.
"I get really nervous sometimes to be here because I feel like I'm having a panic attack and breathing," Depass said.
Depass says when her radiator burst in March, it flooded her downstairs neighbor, too.
"I heard a big boom into the floor," Miriam Villegas said, adding the sheetrock in her ceiling fell to the ground when the pipe burst.
"It doesn't have to take someone to get hurt to get help"
The hole in Villegas' ceiling is now patched up. Depass said the super took pictures of the aftermath in her unit, but added management never took action to fix it.
"It doesn't have to take someone to get hurt to get help. You should help me regardless of the circumstances," Depass said.
In response to our story, HPD said in a statement: "The New York City Housing Code exists for a reason, because everyone deserves a safe and comfortable place to call home. The property manager must address the violations urgently and HPD will continue to follow up to ensure these residents feel safe and secure in their own homes."
CBS New York reached out to the landlord for comment and is still waiting for a reply.
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