Resident Nicole Leith found water-bowed base molding and new damage such as this crack in her walls in her old apartment which apartment management said was safe to move back into before reneging and saying it wasn’t ready because it didn’t pass city inspection.
Updated with information from Monroe's building official
MONROE — Residents who evacuated in January from a freak flood inside the River’s Edge Apartments have slowly returned to housing, but not without frustrations and hiccups.
Approximately six of the 31 families displaced are still being lodged in a local hotel as of last week. Five still in hotels are under the case management of Monroe nonprofit Take The Next Step, its leadership said.
A handful moved back into River’s Edge late last week. Others have dispersed to other apartment complexes.
Emergency grant funds from Snohomish County are covering the cost of the rooms. Take The Next Step is giving families case management and assistance.
The process of moving back in has been bumpy for some.
At least one was given an aborted move-in date because city building inspectors hadn’t given an all-clear to occupy the unit.
What happened was on Jan. 15 during sub-freezing temperatures, the sprinkler system pipes busted open in two apartment buildings. Water poured through three floors of units. Water everywhere: Coming through electrical sockets, through walls
and through fan vents.
Some 50 families living in Buildings C and D were impacted, although the flooding did not clear out all the residents from all the units in C and D. Some weren’t evacuated.
In one case, water damage seeped through to another family’s unit well after the flood, and the family had to be relocated well after the fact, a resident told the Tribune.
Nicole Leith was set to move into her old unit that was worked on in mid-March but then was told it didn’t pass inspection so her move-in was delayed.
When she was let back in to see her apartment, though,she said she found that:
• The electricity wasn’t working in part of her apartment,
• The bathroom fan showed what she thinks are mold spores. The bathroom fan was where a majority of floodwater came through.
• There was carpet in her unit that may have been dried out but wasn’t replaced,
• Some walls had new physical damage such as chips and holes,
and
• The base molding was strangely bowed out
“They were literally going to take my money and move me in to a unit when it wasn’t inspection-approved,” Leith said.
The Tribune spoke with tenants who are concerned the restoration company didn’t strip all the drywall in every case. They worry of potential mold behind the walls considering the amount of water damage these units took.
The Snohomish County Health District is not part of the inspection process when it comes to water-damaged rental units, district spokeswoman Kari Bray said.
River’s Edge’s property management company, Indigo Real Estate, wrote a letter to tenants that “we assure you that we are fully committed to upholding a high standard of care as we restore each apartment.”
The city's building official confirmed April 4 his office is inspecting unit-by-unit before giving the OK on flood-affected units of the River's Edge Apartments.
Inspectors have been coming around weekly after a remediation company completes its work fixing affected units.
City inspectors are checking that damaged drywall, insulation and fire barriers are replaced.
It reviews mold and mildew reports by a professional third-party company for this part of the inspection, city building official Stacy Criswell said.
Not every piece of sheetrock needs removal, only damaged ones, he said.
Criswell confirmed the owners of the River's Edge obtained plumbing permits and building permits for affected Buildings C and D.
People with inspection questions can call the building department at 360-863-4501.
Leith is thankful in hindsight that her family didn’t pay for a U-Haul to move in only to be handed a change of plans. The mix-up did cause her to miss a day of work, though. She took time off in the anticipation she’d be moving back in that day, she said.
“I want to make sure I’m moving into a healthy home without mold,” she said.
Meanwhile, tenants have reported their waterlogged furnishings are growing mold while in the storage units.
Correction:
A story in the Feb. 7 Tribune incorrectly identified Indigo Real Estate as the owner of the River’s Edge Apartment. They are only the property management company.
The Tribune regrets the error.
