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Domenica Federico expressed the frustration of many residents on South Eighth Street, who say they are afraid to be in their own houses and worry that a recurring series of water main breaks in the street means some instability that could lead to another disaster.
"I pay taxes here. I'm a homeowner. Something is going on there," Frederico said.
Harold Krakow lives one door away from one of the three houses that were destroyed in the explosion — but he hasn't been back since it happened.
"Next to us, we just heard that house might be compromised, so we could be the last house standing and we're not feeling confident at all about moving back. That's really the issue," he said.
He and other neighbors came to City Hall for an update on the explosion and were not at all satisfied by the announcement that the gas leak was the proximate cause, and the root cause remains unknown.
They also said the city has been too slow to identify the cause of an unusual number of water main leaks since the explosion and whether they're related. Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel tried to reassure them.
"It is going to take time and I think all of the questions you are rightfully asking are going to be part of the investigation that is being performed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission," Thiel said.
That brought little comfort to neighbors, but city officials apologized and promised to be more responsive.