Some Paterson families still without heat nearly a week after Passaic River flooded streets
PATERSON, N.J. -- Nearly a week after storms flooded parts of Passaic County, some residents still do not have heat as the temperatures drop.
Even though the floodwaters have gone down in Paterson, the damage remains, and some families are going on their seventh day without heat or hot water.
The gas stove in Lasonia Newberry's apartment was on for hours Wednesday.
"This is how we've been living, pots in the oven, pots on top of the stove," she said.
Along with a tabletop radiator, the oven and four burners were heating her family's home on a frigid night.
"Are you worried about the safety of having boiling pots of water here?" CBS New York's Ali Bauman asked.
"Yeah. Yes. I have to turn it off at night, so in the middle of the night, we're cold all over again because we can't sleep with them on or the heater, so everyone's wrapped up in blankets all night long," Newberry said.
Their home is one of several in Paterson that hasn't had heat or hot water since the Passaic River flooded the neighborhood last week.
"It's freezing. It feels colder than out here," Paterson resident Quadria Lyde said.
"I'm in there freezing with jackets upon jackets on," Paterson resident Michelle Sample said.
With each night this week colder than the last, many residents don't know where to turn.
"Nobody knocks on our door. You're the first person to knock on our door," Sample told Bauman.
Bauman showed Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh how Newberry has to use her stove for heat.
"If you can give me their numbers or their landlord, we'll take care of it," Sayegh said.
For the rest of the residents, he says there are warm shelters open overnight.
"We can help people relocate if they don't want to go back to these flood-prone zones," he said. 'Our administration is hyper-focused on making sure we do everything we can to mitigate the impact these floods have had. That's why we partnered with the United Way of Passaic County to establish this fund to help families who have been victims of the floods."
Newberry says she hasn't heard from the mayor's office yet. We'll follow back up with her Thursday.
We also reached out to her landlord and management company and have not heard back.
The mayor is encouraging anyone who lost anything in the floods to contact the United Way of Passaic County.
