EAST HARLEM, Manhattan — Thousands of New York City Housing Authority residents were without water Sunday night after a water main break, officials said.

The break affected three buildings at the Taft Houses in the vicinity of Madison Avenue and East 115th Street in East Harlem, a NYCHA spokeswoman said.

"Plumbers and NYCHA crews have been on the scene for hours working to repair the line and restore service," the spokeswoman said. "There are water stations set up."

After nearly 3,000 residents were without water overnight, by 5:30 a.m. Monday, the number of residents without water had dropped to just under 1,000. There is still no official timeline for full restoration.

Video showed tenants with buckets lined up outside to get water from hydrants.

Resident Yvonne Smith said people weren't able to get water outside until around 6 p.m., hours after the problem started. She bought water from a store before that.

"You can't flush your toilet, you can't do nothing," she said.

Patricia de Jesus had to help her mother, a senior citizen, get water.

"Get your act together because we're people, we're human beings," she said. "We don't deserve to live like this - at all."