Tasheem Smith uses his IPhone to light the steps down from his apartment building in Red Hook. (Gregory P. Mango)
A week after Superstorm Sandy, most tenants at Brooklyn’s biggest public-housing development literally remain in the dark.
That’s because tenants of the 2,878-unit Red Hook Houses yesterday were still waiting for New York City Housing Authority crews to pump out water from flooded basements so utility companies can safely restore their electricity. Most are also without potable water and heat.
“I came back hoping to stay,” said Brenda Warner, 50, whose family was forced to move out after the storm. “But the toilet won’t even flush; it’s just too cold for us to stay here.”
Tenants who stood behind must climb pitch-black staircases and maneuver dark hallways to get to their apartments.
Most arm themselves with flashlights or use flashlight apps on Iphones while traveling. To power their phones, some are illegally jacking into the few electrical lines within the development that work.
“It’s been terrible, no power,” said Tasheem Smith, an 18-year-old high-school senior, who was picking up supplies for his family and elderly tenants in the building.
“I have to walk up and down 12 flights to gather food and supplies. I just don’t understand why it’s taking so long.”
Most of the buildings are 6 stories high but run at high as 14 stories at 80 Dwight Street, which is where a Post reporter took a tour.
On the seventh floor there, tenants have set up candles in the hallway so they can get around. Most seniors rely on assistance from youngsters who bring them food, water and supplies after standing on long ration lines outside set up by the feds.
Seventh-floor resident Yvonne Swepson-Williams, 66, said she and her other elderly neighbors are trapped because they can’t get up and down the stairs.
“I see what’s going on in Staten Island, so I count my blessings,” she said. “However, I would hope [NYCHA] starts moving a little faster and gets the water out of the basement, so we can get power.”
Many on fixed incomes complained that they’ve had to dump hundreds of dollars worth of food.
Others claimed the housing project has become a target for serious crimes since the storm – alleging at least two women have been raped and many tenants have been mugged.
“The crack heads are mugging everyone. At night, the whole neighborhood is pitch black,” said one tenant.
Lu Hahn, 24, of 80 Dwight Street, ripped NYCHA for using a tiny pump to pump the flooded basements.
“They’ve been on this for a week and made no progress because the pump is too small- it’s a like a fish pump,” he said, staring at a tiny pump.
The development is located within a zone that the city ordered dwellers to evacuate hours before the storm. Residents who stood behind were asked to sign a waiver.
A NYCHA memo obtained yesterday said 62 agency housing projects were affected by the storm. As of yesterday morning, 34 – or just a little over half – had heat and hot water restored. The remaining 28 developments host 34,555 residents citywide. Many — like the Red Hook Houses — are also without power.