PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The deadline for evacuations from an apartment complex in Philadelphia has now passed. At least eight families were told to leave by their property managers CBS News Philadelphia investigation revealed what engineers called “structural hazards.”
CBS News Philadelphia spoke Friday with tenants who are now unexpectedly trying to find a new place to live.
Some tenants at the Stenton Garden Apartments in Mount Airy received an emergency evacuation email Wednesday telling people to be out by 3 p.m. Friday, but Tasha Barker said she didn’t hear about it until Thursday.
Barker is most concerned about her son, who has made special arrangements for the school bus to pick him up at the apartment complex. She said he is also participating in a community soccer league with practices this weekend.
“The only thing they’re going to pay for is our hotel room. But they don’t pay if there’s no transportation,” Barker said. She said it was a problem because the hotel is about 20 minutes away and she doesn’t have a car.
Tenants told CBS News Philadelphia they are unsure if or when they will be allowed back in.
“It’s just heartbreaking that we live here and our lives are in danger right now,” said Shanika Bolton, a resident who has lived there for five years.
Last week, CBS News Philadelphia asked independent engineers to look at the property. They said the situation was too dangerous for people to live inside. They alerted the city to their findings.
Initially, both the city and the property manager said the evacuation was not justified days later that changed.
“People were just dragging their feet and not being diligent with their inspections and then suddenly, now after a news report went out, we had to evacuate within 72 hours,” said tenant Jamie Lawyer, who sent her daughter home. was staying somewhere else weeks ago when she noticed cracks in the wall of her apartment.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections emailed: “Property management will arrange for the building to be evacuated. At the owner’s request, an inspection of the D building will be carried out on Monday. L&I will carry out inspections of the building. D building when repairs begin.”
The property manager, GY Properties, did not return CBS News Philadelphia’s requests for comment Friday. On Wednesday, they sent a statement saying in part: “Following the completion of the bracing, the right wing of Building D will be temporarily unavailable for rental during ongoing repairs. We understand the potential inconvenience this may cause and are committed to providing support to all affected families.”
