Roberta Mills was inside her apartment, watching 'The Voice' Tuesday night, when she heard her neighbor knocking at her door.
That's also when she noticed the puddle of water in her kitchen, and the half inch of water in the hallway.
When she walked into the stairwell, she found even more water at the 202 Coleman Street, New London apartment complex.
"There was probably, maybe a good two inches of water and it was just pouring down," Mills said. And then we were worried about this because it's the electrical box."
Water filled the stairwells and hallways of the 10th and 11th floors of the George Washington Carver Apartments, a subsidized housing unit.
"I'm not the healthiest person," Mills said. "I have a heart condition… the stairs were wet and somebody could slip and fall."
A leak in the hatch at the top of the stairs and the roof caused the unwelcome wetness, according to the New London Fire Department.
Local
"We have old facilities. So from that perspective, it's not surprising," said
Lee Erdmann, acting New London Housing Authority executive director.
He's only been in the position for a week.
Erdmann said the roof is about 30 years old and was already covered up by a temporary patch. Wednesday morning it was replaced by another temporary patch.
Now the Housing Authority is looking to price out and find the money for a more permanent solution this spring, according to Erdmann.
"Ideally, we would've had the resources to replace the entire roof before this, but apparently we have not had the resources to do that," he said.
Some tenants said the water that puddled the hallways of the 10th and 11th floors, seeped into their apartments. Since it was the kitchen area, no one reported any damage.
Many said they're happy with how quickly it was all cleaned up.
"I just worry about people's safety," Mills added. She's not the only one sharing that sentiment.
The New London Housing Authority plans to monitor the situation and make sure there's no more leaks. Staff is also going to check those tenant's apartments who experienced dampness from the leak, to make sure the tiles don't buckle from the water.
