Residents of the Hideaway North Apartments are scrambling to get out of their apartments after heavy rains caused ceilings to fall.
“The wall started leaking. There was literally just water coming down and about a half an hour later, I started seeing it up in the ceiling,” said resident Jimmy Lopez.
Lopez said the damage started slowly, but the worst was realized when residents returned for a hotel they evacuated to last night.
Their floors were covered with the ceiling and their belongings were drenched.
Resident James Krauses realized something terrible was happening in the middle of the night Sunday.
“Last night I got out before most of the people, but it started dripping in various places. And then I came back today to this. I wasn't expecting it to be this bad,” he said.
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Thirty-six apartment units are unlivable. The building's owner is blaming a roofing company that left the roof unfinished Friday.
The new owners said the property had been neglected since it was constructed 40 years ago.
When Greater Orlando Roofing took on the job, the company didn’t realize the extent of neglect or unrepaired damage from Hurricane Irma.
The new owners knew there knew significant repairs were needed, but did not know how much rotting wood was buried under the flat, neglected roof.
Residents were allowed back inside Tuesday as the roofers kept working to prevent more damage.
Some residents will be forced to move out completely as repairs are made.
The roofing company is paying for about two dozen residents to stay in a hotel.
Seven or eight of the effected units might be repairs within two weeks, but the problem doesn’t end with just one building—the roofing contracted expects all the buildings in the complex will need repairs.
Cox Media Group
