GASTONIA, N.C. — A water main break that forced Gastonia residents out of their homes over the weekend has those affected by the damage questioning who is responsible for the cleanup.
The break happened Friday on Osceola Street. According to officials, the water flowed downhill and into nearby apartments.
Residents affected by water damage were put up in hotel rooms over the weekend, but said they’re now being told to return to their apartments.
"We stayed there until Monday. Now we have nowhere to go," resident Melvin Johnson said.
Johnson walked Channel 9 reporter Ken Lemon through his apartment, showing fans and a pump still drawing water from the space, as well as partially dried mud on the floors. He said his apartment looked the same way on Friday.
"I'm angry,” Johnson said. “I’m very angry."
Johnson said his neighbors' homes were also flooded.
Cynthia Smith, an unemployed mother of four children, was close to tears when she spoke to Channel 9. Smith said her home is better than it was on Friday, but she still can’t move back in.
"The floors are covered in mud. The floors are still wet," Smith said.
Residents said they shouldn’t have to pay for repairs but may have no other option.
A spokesperson for the city of Gastonia said the city isn't responsible for damages. She added that the city isn't heartless -- it wasn't obligated to pay for hotels, but it did it because it was obvious the tenants had nowhere to go.
The spokesperson also said that the homes have flooded before because of the terrain and that the damage is a landlord-tenant issue. She said the city is not legally negligent.
The landlord of the affected apartments told Channel 9 that he would put the tenants in other apartments, but he doesn't have any available. He also noted that he filed a claim against the city to force it to reimburse him for the cleanup. He added that the tenants can join his claim to get their damaged furniture replaced, but that still won't give them a place to stay.
“Please help,” Smith said. “Please help.”
Reporter Ken Lemon will have a full report on the damages Gastonia residents are dealing with on Eyewitness News, starting at 5 p.m.
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