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Several homes wait for repairs as contractors remain backlogged after the blizzard

Blizzard Repairs
Posted at 11:29 PM, Jan 12, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-12 23:29:10-05

LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — One major issue caused by the blizzard was bursting pipes in homes and buildings around the region. Many people suffered through low temperatures and loss of power. However, that is only one part of the problem.

Inflation is also a part of that equation. "Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis" is estimating construction cost rose more than 14% from December 2021 through the end of 2022. The New York's Construction Labor Force lost more than 150,000 workers at the onset of the Covid pandemic. While the industry still has yet to recover, the record breaking elements here in Western New York have only caused a backlog for companies.

"And I said where the heck is that water coming from," questioned Lancaster Resident Ken Malark.

That's the question many renters and homeowners like Ken Malark have had to ask themselves since the storm.

"I went down stairs and noticed the boiler there was zero pressure in the boiler and the water kept flowing," said Malark. "I heard the water keep flowing like trying to fill up. And I realized oh son of a gun, one of the pipes must have broke."

Experts said when water freezes inside of a pipe it expands, increases the pressure and causes the pipe to burst. As temperatures begin to rise again, Malark said he did what he could to stop the water flow but the damage was already done.

"This wall as you can see the stains here it's all moist it's all water here and above the door," said Malark.

Malark said he hasn't had heat since December 28th. With more cold temperatures on the way and several other homes dealing with the same issue, finding the right company to fix things hasn't been so easy.

"I tried calling like three places," said Malark. "Everyone's booked all the way up to two to three weeks out until they can even come."

Malark said the closest plumbing service available was in Rochester.

"The guy that I got from Rochester said he's working on six houses just in this area alone," said Malark.

President of Cortese Construction Company, Domenic Cortese, said right now, increased demand and back logs for plumbing and construction companies have become part of a complicated problem.

"It's kind of the perfect storm right now where you don't have enough people, you've got a lot of work coming in," said Cortese. "And then add one more element and that is the sometimes difficulty in securing the right parts for the job."

Cortese said the industry is still suffering from losing skilled workers at the height of the pandemic and having a record breaking blizzard only made service harder.

"So depending on what we're talking about servicing you for in our company, our wait time for a major renovation which would be a kitchen or a bathroom is several months," said Cortese.

He said while there isn't much you can do but wait, there are ways you can try to protect your home from damage in the future.

"The first line of defense when to prevent problems with waterline freezing is to check the perimeter of your home for areas where air could be infiltrating and insulating those areas to prevents the drafts from being able to get in to freeze the pipes," said Cortese.

As experts told 7 News, as much as you may want to do more to fix the issue, Malark is realizing that right now the only thing he can do for now is this.

"I mean I just got to, you have to wait," said Malark.