By Connor Adams Sheets
One year after a gas explosion killed a Floral Park mother, her three children joined their father Saturday on the site of their leveled home and read heartfelt poems they wrote for the matriarch they lost so suddenly.
Her young sons’ words brought tears to the eyes of many people who attended a remembrance ceremony for Ghanwatti Boodram, a nurse at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital who died at the age of 40 after a gas explosion erupted in her home at 80-50 260th St. on April 24, 2009.
“It’s been a year since I’ve had to be strong every day,” sons Chris and Ryan read aloud. “It’s been a year of unspoken words I want to say.”
The event, which featured a special prayer at 4:50 p.m., the exact time of the blast, brought family, friends and neighbors together in solidarity with the Boodram family.
Religious leaders and elected officials led the service, which was held under a makeshift tent amid the rubble, splintered wood, broken glass, chunks of brick and concrete that is all that remains of the Boodrams’ home.
Pundit Eshwar Sharma guided a large portion of the proceedings and offered words of comfort to Chris, Ryan, their brother Kevin and their father, Dindial Boodram.
“The Lord is so powerful he can change mountains into dust and dust into mountains. If he can do that, he can remove the sorrows of each and every one of us,” Sharma said. “What remains of the sister that passed away here, the mother that passed away here, is the good memories she shared with her children and her husband.”
The explosion occurred as Con Edison workers investigated gas odors on the block. Another home was destroyed in the blast.
A report from the state Department of Public Service in November 2009 cited four violations of gas safety regulations on the utility’s part. The utility faces a $1 million fine if it is unable to find another cause for Ghanwatti Boodram’s death than the violations.
Dindial Boodram, who has sued Con Ed over the explosion, said after the service that he feels the company should be harshly penalized for the explosion.
“I’m still very shocked that this happened. I’m still going through a lot right now,” he said. “I feel that somebody should be held competent for that. A fine is not the end of it. I lost my wife and a loving mother. … Someone should get to the bottom of this.”
Reach reporter Connor Adams Sheets by e-mail at csheets@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
