FLORENCE, Ky. — It was a Christmas nightmare for some residents at a Florence apartment complex this week when water started rushing into their units.
“The smell is the worst,” Constance Johnson said. She and her daughter had to spend Christmas night in a hotel and left wrapped presents behind.
Property management officials with Uptown Rental Properties confirm four units were affected in the company’s complex on Plantation Drive.
The water was first spotted in a building laundry room Christmas Eve, according to Johnna Mullikin, vice president of property management at Uptown Rental Properties. By Christmas morning, it had reached the units. Mullikin said the issue was caused by a backup in a main line coming into the property. A maintenance worker on site confirmed the flood contained sewage.
“Very sad,” Johnson said. “It's out of our control, but it should have never happened. I think I'm sad because my daughter's sad, you know?”
“It floored me,” said Michael Simpson, who lives across the hall.
Simpson said he’s preparing to get rid of his furniture.
“I’m going to get rid of everything,” he said. “Hate to do that.”
Simpson said he’s lived at the complex for about eleven years and experienced several floods. He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Parkinson’s disease and believes the issues are making him sicker.
“Every time I come back here, two weeks later, I'm in that hospital,” he said.
WCPO 9 saw maintenance crews on site Tuesday sucking up the water. A maintenance worker told WCPO 9 that the carpets would be disinfected and dried.
Mullikin said crews will inspect the building to find out what other work might be necessary.
“Whenever water sits for any period of time, that always raises that level of concern for us,” she said.
It was not immediately clear when work would be finished.
“Unfortunately, these things do take some time, and there are steps that need to be taken,” Mullikin said.
She added that residents should be compensated if they have been displaced.
Both Simpson and Johnson told us they had had enough. Both are preparing to move out.
“I love the place, my patio and everything,” Simpson said. “But I have to give it all up.”
“Hopefully we can find some place to live that's cheap, a house to rent.” Johnson said. “Maybe without issues like this.”
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