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Residents of Manayunk apt. complex coping with Isaias aftermath one month later
Kelly Rule has details
MANAYUNK - A month after flooding caused by Isaias, residents in one Manayunk apartment complex are upset and at their wit’s end seeing no progress in repairs to their homes.
15 minutes is how long Michael Kiss says it took for the rising water right outside of his townhome to flood his first floor.
“All we’re asking for is just clear communication. We’re asking for our fair deal,” Kiss stated.
Michael lives at Apex Manayunk, an apartment and townhome community on East Flat Rock Road, in between the Schuylkill River and Manayunk Canal, where both bodies of water essentially met during Tropical Storm Isaias on August 4th. Almost a month later, Michael’s first floor is still a mess.
“This is not really inhabitable and I’m paying rent, still,” Kiss added.
FOX 29 spoke with several residents Wednesday who lost almost everything on their first floors. They describe the past month as a nightmare with little and inconsistent communication from management and dates of finished repairs continuously pushed back.
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“I’m living in a construction zone. I have an unusable first floor. I’m just waiting like, when is this going to end?” asked resident Todd Poole.
A single mom to two teenage girls, Vanessa Rivera says she received an email August 14th stating she had to completely move out by the 17th. She says when she got to her place, everything from her flooded first floor was already thrown out.
“I feel like it’s totally unfair. I paid $2700 rent every month. I lived here four years and I’m a single mom, so it’s definitely life changing,” Rivera explained.
Vanessa says her lease was terminated without fees, but she was promised a security deposit she still has not received.
Michael and Todd say they were both offered different rent discounts for September and management offered to install new floors, kitchen cabinets and tabletops on the second floor, an area not touched by the flood.
“We don’t want anyone of that, all we want is just to go back home,” Kiss stated.
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