SUMTER, S.C. — A group of Sumter residents who were evacuated from their apartments for weeks are wondering whether they'll be able to return for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Two weeks ago, 47 residents were evacuated from the Garden Circle Apartments complex after the Sumter Fire Department found that the sprinklers and smoke alarms were not working, which it determined was a “life safety issue.” On top of that, the department says the elevator was broken in the high rise.
Residents were placed in motels, but now they’re not sure if they’re able to stay.
“We're hoping to get everything fixed for us before Thanksgiving,” Resident James Edward Lee shares. “You know, we’re just homeless right now.”
Lee has been living in a motel along with his neighbors. While they say t’s been paid for over the last two weeks, they’re not sure how long that will last.
“Tomorrow night, as far as we know, nothing has been paid for. So we don't know if we're going to be in the street tomorrow when we wake up or not. And that's been really keeping things in an uproar because the people are scared, including myself,” resident Siri Taylor explains. “It's very hard not to know…like, I breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing I didn't have to leave today. But I don't know…there's always that lurking in the back your mind, ‘What about tomorrow morning? Will you be or not?’ and I don't know.”
Taylor says while the property owner has offered to give back prepaid rent and deposits, that doesn't mean a roof over her head long term.
“I don't think she's understanding the magnitude of the problem,” Taylor says. “I've been looking for two months for another place because of the elevator and everybody has a waiting list. So it's a real intricate problem. It's got many facets that come in and have to be solved. It's not as easy as ‘go back home.”
I’ve spoken to the property owner, Amalfi Gayosso, who tells me she’s working to get the building back in working order. Gayosso says the fire alarm and fire suppression systems are back up to code and says the elevator is working as of Tuesday afternoon.
Now, she says it’s up to the city on when the building can re-open. I reached out to the city, which says it has not been alerted about the elevator’s current condition.
In a statement, the City of Sumter says, “The City of Sumter is aware of a local matter involving life-safety issues within a privately-owned Sumter apartment complex. Due to accessibility deficiencies on site, the building must remain closed for the time being. We are currently working with the owner of the facility to incorporate a solution that ensures the safety of all inhabitants. The City of Sumter is dedicated to serving our citizens and cooperating with all entities to provide assurance on this matter."
In the meantime, Gayosso says she’s been paying for the motel rooms. It’s an expense Gayosso tells me she’s unable to keep funding on her own though, which is why she’s called on Sumter United Ministries, run by Executive Director Mark Champagne.
“So we've done two nights so far. Hopefully the elevator’s done tomorrow, everything gets inspected into safety and people can go home, but if not, we’ll be working on some other plans to see what we can do to continue to help,” Champagne says about using donations from the community.
Residents like Quheira Robinson say this help is something she's grateful for “because it feels like there's someone cares about the people.”
“There's some people that don’t have family that can't help them out with shelter and food. So I really think that that really is a good organization for the people,” Robinson continues. “And I like that, you know?”
Residents’ rooms have been paid for by tonight. As for Wednesday, Gayosso tells News 19 that she’s hopeful the residents can move back in.