EDISON, NJ — More than 110 families in Edison, New Jersey, are still homeless due to the ceiling collapse in an apartment complex last week, which left nearly 300 units uninhabitable.
CBS News New York spoke to displaced families on Monday who are desperately trying to return home.
Residents are fed up of being in limbo
Hitesh Goshwami said he had had enough.
“We don’t have a house. That’s how it feels right now,” Goshwami said.
He is one of hundreds of residents of the Evergreen Meadows housing complex who have moved out of their homes and Life in a hotel after Friday’s ceiling collapse left 280 units uninhabitable.
“Yes, we are. Literally,” said Goshwami when asked if he was currently in limbo. “I have all my things packed and it’s Monday.”
Prashandh Eamble and his four-year-old daughter Adila were told to check out of the hotel on Monday morning but were still unable to return home.
“We have kids. We can’t just leave the kids there without something to do. She says, ‘I want to swim. I want to go to daycare. I want to do something.’ It’s so hard,” Eamble said.
Adila added that she misses her “toys and iPad.”
Repairs are still being carried out on three buildings
Eamble’s house is one of 114 units still undergoing repairs, and whether the buildings pass a structural integrity inspection depends on their return on Monday afternoon.
“Buildings 5, 9 and 10 are currently being worked on. Most of the work is done in Buildings 5 and 10. There may still be work left in Building 9 tonight,” said Edison Mayor Sam Joshi.
Unfortunately for Eamble and his daughter, who live in Building 9, this means another night in the hotel and another day without their toys.
The management company told CBS News New York it would reimburse residents for their hotel stays. The mayor said the municipality would make sure that happens.
Jessica Moore
