Uncertainty remains for residents displaced by sinkhole

Aug. 16--The cars have been pulled from the earth and the danger subsided, but more than a day after flooding from a burst pipe forced evacuation of two East Side apartment buildings, many residents were still uncertain when life would resume as normal.

A slow trickle of residents returned Saturday to the River's Edge Apartments, 1614 Fordem Ave., all wondering when they would be allowed back into their homes, and many searching for answers about how they would be compensated for damaged or totaled vehicles. Most residents visiting the site knew little more than what they had seen or read in media reports.

"Right now there's no power, electricity, it smells like fumes up there so I'm not sure how safe it is," said Zach Stocke, who lives on the second floor of one of the evacuated buildings. "They said next week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday, we might be able to occupy it again, so that's kind of where we're at right now."

Stocke, 25, was awakened by a fire alarm early Friday only to wander outside and watch his 2003 Buick Century be slowly swallowed a sinkhole that opened up in his apartment's parking lot. On Saturday, he stood with his father, Richard, looking on as crews used an excavator to fill in his car's grave with gravel.

"It wasn't worth that much, but still, it was my car," Stocke said, uncertain how his totaled sedan would be replaced. "I really haven't heard much. I understand it's got to be hectic for them but I really haven't heard anything."

Dozens of others, including Ella Schwierske, sustained significant damage or total losses to their vehicles when the underground garages of two of the four large apartment buildings flooded.

Schwierske, 25, was concerned by comments from a towing company that led her to believe that damage to her Mazda3 may not be covered by other insurance.

"What's frustrating to me is that I just lost my car in March -- not my fault -- but now I've lost two cars this year. I can't imagine what will happen to my insurance rates," she said.

Rachel Wagabaza, a regional manager for Banner Property Management, could not be reached Saturday but the company set up a temporary office in the garage of a neighboring apartment building. A staffer who led residents into the vacated buildings to collect essential belongings said that all vehicles had been towed and crews were working to clean out the garages Saturday.

Residents of two buildings were allowed to return to their apartments Friday night. Those buildings have electricity, but no water, so Banner has provided portable toilets in the interim, said American Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Behling.

Most of the displaced residents found alternative lodging with friends or family, but two people were put in hotels and residents of 10 units were provided temporary housing at other apartment buildings Banner owns around the city, Behling said.

The Red Cross was prepared to use East High School as a shelter, but that never happened.

"From our perspective, it turned out to be a much better scenario than we first thought," she said.

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