Warsaw. Faworytki 2. A week after the downpour, the residents of this block have no electricity or hot water

On Kontakt24 wrote a resident of Faworytki Street 2 in Warsaw. She told how the residents of her building are functioning without electricity and water after downpour from a week ago.

– This is a situation that has been going on since August 20, when there was a the flood embankment broke on Arbuzowa Street. For seven days now, 60 families have been cut off from electricity and (hot – ed.) water, including families with children. We have not received an approximate date for the return of electricity – said Mrs. Justyna. The date is to be given only after the building has been dried. – Losses are estimated at one and a half million zlotys. The management is cautious in its declarations, but they are helping as much as they can. They have partially provided us with electricity from a neighboring building – our reader claims.

– Some residents have temporarily moved out, but there are a few families with children who do not have such an opportunity. I myself travel between Faworytki and my friend's apartment. I come mainly to look after the animals – the woman reports.

– People take bowls full of laundry out of their flats and bring them to their friends' houses. Women leave with wet hair to dry it in the other building (there is electricity there, but only at the reception – ed.). Residents are trying to function in the new reality on their own. They are even installing portable solar panels on their balconies – says a resident.

He adds that the worst thing is the uncertainty. “We don't know yet when this situation will end, so we can't plan anything,” he laments.

Olek Klekocki, a reporter from tvnwarszawa.pl, talked to other residents of the building.

As Małgorzata says, the downpour woke her up at night. Cars in the garage on the minus two level were flooded, luckily hers was on the minus one level – it didn't suffer any damage. But at three the electricity and hot water were turned off.

– Since Tuesday last week, all we have is ice water. You can get a drink, you can use the toilet, but washing yourself is difficult – she points out. The biggest bane for her is the lack of electricity in the socket. – We can't charge our phones, we can't work, we can't make food. The food we had in the fridge was thrown in the trash – she says. And she admits that today her main diet is instant soups.

Her partner Steven decided to buy power stations. One costs at least three thousand złoty. – The day after the flood, when we knew that there would be no electricity soon, I decided that we should look for an alternative. I came up with the idea of ​​installing a charging station and solar panels on the balcony outside. In Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, it is already fashionable – says Steven. He adds that it is a good solution in case of a failure, but also an effective way of collecting green energy.

Magdalena has been a resident of Faworytka 2 for less than three weeks, and she has already had so many problems.

– My husband and I are in a bind now, because we lost the only car we had. It was in the garage on the minus two level. We have had no electricity for a week now, no hot water. It is very difficult, because we have no alternative to changing this apartment – describes Magdalena. The only help came from a family from near Warsaw, where we can wash clothes or prepare food. – The worst thing is that nothing has happened here in this matter for a week – the woman complains.

When will the electricity be restored? We ask the supplier.

“Stoen Operator is waiting for information from the building administration about the condition of the installation and its readiness to be connected. Then, in the presence of an electrician, such connection can be carried out immediately,” assures us Aleksandra Smolarska-Flis from the Stoen Operator press office.

Why is the shutdown taking so long? – The entire minus two level was flooded, along with the entire installation and electrical switchboard. Only today (Monday – ed.) is the first such day when we can calmly sort everything out. We are doing everything in our power to restore this process – explains Katarzyna Chwastek from the administration of the building at Faworytki 2. – We have a company that is already working there as part of the drying and we are trying to restore the electricity as soon as possible – she adds.

When asked how long the work will take, she says she can't say. “We're making every effort to do it as quickly as possible,” she emphasizes.

It is certain that the installation must be thoroughly dried, because if wet it would pose a threat to the residents.

Katarzyna Chwastek assures that the administration helps residents as much as it can. – Electricity from the building next door is available so that people can heat water in a kettle or charge their phones. Unfortunately, there are some things we cannot overcome – she sums up.