The overnight rain in South Florida did quite a number on an apartment building in Davie, damaging 12 units and leaving at least two families homeless Friday.
There was a lot of anger and frustration at the El Jardin Apartments Friday after rain water collapsed the roof of two top-floor apartments of the three-story complex.
In addition to those two, 10 other units on the first and second floors experienced flooding.
"I started packing up stuff for me and my kids and as I put stuff in a bag and walked out of my room, the ceiling caved in," resident Katrina Edwards said. "My kids, thank God, were not in the room."
Edwards said she and her family were forced to stay with a friend.
"We pay rent just like everybody else and I had to squeeze in with a friend just because they didn't wanna pay for their problem, you understand? It's not fair to us," she said.
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The building's property management company said the fire department found just two units with collapsed roofs were unlivable. The renters in those two units, including Edwards, will be put up in a hotel for up to five days, the managers said.
"There's very little damage, we have dehumidifiers, blowers," property manager Alberto Urrechaga said.
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The people in the other 10 apartments will have to stay while the units dry out or find another place to stay on their own.
Urrechaga blamed a roofing company that was working on the ceiling recently for the collapse and aftermath.
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"They were supposed to work on the roof and overnight they didn't cover the roof. So they left the exposed roof that they're working on overnight," Urrechaga said.
But Samy A. Elarja, president of Full Cover Roofing, said in an email statement: "Basically, all leaks are discovered at roof sections where we did not performed any work yet. I hope weather improves to continue working and finish all of this issues."
The Red Cross was at the scene overnight to offer help and city inspectors are determining the damage and safety of the building. The power and utilities have been cut off in the meantime.
