Fifty thousand Yonkers residents endured a second day of limited to no water service after a massive water main break on the Saw Mill River Parkway.
"I don't know how long it's gonna last," James Santiago told NBC 4 New York as he waited in line to fill a jug from one of five portable water trucks across the area. "I'm just praying. I haven't even shaved!"
A private contractor running fiber optic cable underground damaged the pipe Monday, causing it to burst. The southbound portion of Saw Mill Parkway remains closed as crews work to cap key parts of the break.
"They had to take out a four-foot section of a 36-inch main," said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. "And don't forget this is between 80 and 100 years old."
Local
After the break, critical water supply was restored to both St. Joseph and St. John's Riverdale hospitals, but even those with water service remain under a boil water advisory.
A resident described the water as "literally dark brown."
"We don't even want to boil it," said Keith Castro.
The Yonkers Fire Department fought small fires today, pumping 500 gallons of water per minute from a nearby hydrant the belongs to New York City.
Larger fires, though, require a lot more water – and the president of the union representing the Yonkers firefighters said he was thankful there weren't any large structure fires as they wait for service to be fully restored.
"There were no major fires, but in a major structure fire we could use a half million gallons or a million gallons of water, and unfortunately, with the water supply we have in Yonkers… we don’t have that kind of water," Barry McGoey said.
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