Water main break in East Meadow leaves neighbors without water for hours

A water main break turned North Jerusalem Road in East Meadow into a lake Monday.
It happened around 8 a.m. and left about 30 homeowners without water for hours.
The break closed North Jerusalem Road between Bellmore Avenue and Cynthia Drive.
A Hempstead Town crew dug a 6-foot hole in the street and found the problem.
"It was about a 16-foot-long crack in a 12-inch water main," said Hempstead Town Department of Water Commissioner John Reinhardt.
Crews spent several hours removing the damaged pipe and putting a new one in its place. Reinhardt says the cause of the crack is weather-related.
"Once the weather starts to get cold, contraction of the main along with the road getting harder, causes water main breaks to occur," said Reinhardt.
Water was restored around 5 p.m. but work to fill in the hole and patch up the roadway lasted longer.