Power out for 15 hours at Brockton elderly housing complex

BROCKTON, Mass. — Hundreds of elderly and disabled residents in Brockton have power and heat once again Sunday night after spending more than 15 hours without heat or power.

"It was freezing made my asthma act up and everything," said Gladys Moore, a resident.

People living in Campello Towers were first alerted to the situation when a pipe burst around 2  a.m. Sunday. The pipe burst in the same utility closet that houses the building's electrical service. Facing a serious fire hazard, fire crews shut off the power to the high rise tower B and the neighboring building A, which has another additional 200 units. Campello Towers is a low-rent public housing building on Main Street that housing senior citizens.

"It’s horrific, my blood pressure is through the roof. We have no where to go," said Lynette Younie, another resident.

The temperatures continued to drop with no mercy.

It got better for people in building A at about 7 a.m. when power was restored. But over in B,  it got colder and colder, and as residents had to use lanterns to navigate around their pitch black, frigid apartment, fearing they would have to evacuate.

"This is awful for these people their pets are in their apartments they cant take them with them," said Irene Doucette.

Officials brought in generators to light up the hallways and transformed common area into warming centers. Volunteers helped bring in food and beverages to those who needed it.

“I called my wife and said it looks like there is people there who need help and we get here the situation is a lot worse than whats being put out there," said volunteer Keith Hayes.

Brockton’s Mayor Bill Carpenter was also on hand as the potential of a mandatory evacuation became more real approaching nightfall.

“This is record 100 year low temperatures for an extended period of time," said Carpenter.

What made the situation worse, Carpenter noted, was the elderly people and the concern for their health. He said that if the heat hadn't come back soon, they would relocate the residents.

Fortunately, just about 5 p.m. the power was restored and the heat came back on. Sunday night, the residents were able to return to their apartments and sleep in their own beds.

“It was ice cold in my house, ice cold, bad," said Beverly Skippar, a resident.

City officials had alerted the Red Cross about the prospect of an evacuation, and the Board of Health was here on scene monitoring conditions.

Rescuers were also getting ready to take in dozens of animals that were dealing with these dangerous conditions as well.

Several people were transported to the hospital as a precaution.

Cox Media Group