Water leaks attack Huron Place Apartments electrical system in East Cleveland

EAST CLEVELAND - Residents living at the Huron Place Apartments in East Cleveland are facing a series of water leaks that have attacked the buildings electrical system and have left floors and personal property water logged.

NewsChannel5 was on the scene and witnessed water pouring from smoke detector, light fixtures, and apartment unit fuse boxes.

Tenants contacted 5 On Your Side Troubleshooter Joe Pagonakis about the water issues, a problem residents claim has ruined their quality of life for the past two weeks.

Residents said the water leaks caused an interruption in electric and water service, which then led to a lack of hot water and  heating.

"I've been dealing with this for weeks now. It's been deplorable," explained Huron Place tenant Lillie Glenn. "My light fixtures, the water, I couldn't sleep, can't eat, can't bathe properly."

NewsChannel5 was initially contacted by Jacqueline Green, Director of East Cleveland's Domestic Violence Program, who was appalled by the living conditions faced by some of her clients at the complex.

"People without water, people without heat, and it's cold," said Green. "I feel that no one is helping them. It takes a professional person to care so I'm grateful that you responded."

5 On Your Side contacted the management team at Huron Place apartments on Feb. 4 and Midwest Realty Advisors responded immediately.

Howard Davis, Midwest Reality senior director of residential operations issued the following statement:

Huron Place Apartments suffered a series of frozen and subsequently burst pipes as a result of the recent cold snap. Our staff worked around the clock to repair the leaks as they occurred.

When it became evident the scope of the problem was beyond our ability to resolve with in-house staff, we called a plumbing contractor for assistance.

Due to the age and nature of the plumbing system, the repair of one section frequently lead to a new leak appearing  nearby as old pipes and joints were unable to handle the stress of increased water flow.

The building was not designed with shut offs to individual suites, floors or risers, necessitating the shut off of all water to the building to effect repairs.

We certainly regret the inconvenience this situation has caused however this event was a result of extremely cold weather, and in our opinion, completely unavoidable.

Water leaks at Huron Place were finally stopped on Feb. 6, but the long clean-up continues.

East Cleveland building inspectors are scheduled to follow-up on ongoing repairs at Huron Place Apartments on Feb. 8.

East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton Jr. expressed his concerns for residents dealing with the prolific water issues.

"My building department will insure repairs are done properly, and we will follow-up to insure this doesn't happen again," explained Mayor Norton. "I appreciate NewsChannel5's follow-up on this case."