"Surrounded by East New York, Ozone Park and Lindenwood, the area is identified even on maps as "The Hole." "This is like the land that time forgot. There's no sidewalks. There's no sewers," longtime resident Bart Aclin said. Officials say the area was never connected to the New York City sewer system, and rainfall drenches the sunken streets with overflow from septic tanks."
""You see the water start to rise up, and the water comes inside the house, and there's nothing you can do," neighbor Monti Ehume said. "Even if you have a pump - sometimes I use two, three pumps - it's still not enough." What's more, locals are left to navigate mounting construction debris and abandoned trucks. "We were totally shocked at how people were living back there," advocate Debra Ack said."
The low-lying neighborhood at the Brooklyn-Queens border, known as 'The Hole,' lacks sidewalks, sewer connections and is prone to chronic flooding. Rainfall fills sunken streets and overflows septic tanks, causing water to rise into homes despite residents' use of multiple pumps. Residents also contend with construction debris and abandoned trucks. Community advocates filed a demand letter calling for quality-of-life improvements. City officials plan a Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan to install sewers and sidewalks, raise elevation, improve transit access and build affordable housing. Local leaders describe the area as long neglected and emphasize the need to correct the injustice.
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