DEKALB COUNTY, Ga — Several families have been staying in hotels after a broken water main line flooded their homes. Now they’re afraid to go back because of what they say repair crews are leaving behind.
The flooding from the water main break was so bad that several tenants at the Silver Oak Apartments had to be evacuated on Oct. 4. Tenant Georgette Allard showed Channel 2′s Tom Jones a doorbell video that showed all the flooding and a neighbor coming to her rescue. “He(’s) ringing on the bell telling me to get out, there’s a flood,” Allar pointed out.
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The video also showed a massive amount of water shooting over a fence, and into their yards and units. “When I opened the door, all of this dirty water just came gushing (through) the door like a tsunami,” Allard recalled.
The water flooded at least six units at the apartments on Brockett Road in Clarkston. Tenants say they lost everything inside including furniture, electronics and memorabilia. “I lost all of my memories of my daughters. Things that we made, they’re all gone,” said Allard.
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Neighbors say the water caused so much damage to their homes, they’ve been staying in a hotel while crews work to repair the units. “This has been a mess. It’s been a mess,” tenant Lakesha Richardson said, frustrated by how her and her families’ lives have been turned upside-down.
The flood victims say inspectors told them they found asbestos and mold in their units, but the tenants say they were told crews were only authorized to replace 4 feet of their walls. “They are only going to be tearing down this much and leaving the whole rest and the ceiling. Then of course, the asbestos is still going to be in there,” said Allard.
That has tenants concerned about their health. Richardson says she has a 3-year-old autistic daughter and a 14-year-old son. She says it’s not safer for them, or for her and her husband.
Jones went by the leasing office to find out what’s going on, but it was closed; so he called the office and left a message. Jones then reached out to DeKalb County. The county confirmed it is paying for hotels for the tenants and has contractors working to repair the apartments. A county spokesperson said it was authorized to remove 4 vertical feet of walls in the affected areas by the property owners. The county said it will remove mold and asbestos from those areas.
The tenants say they just want their homes restored to the point it’s not a health hazard. They say they are being treated like secondhand citizens. “We didn’t ask for this. This is not our fault,” said Allard.
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