ORLANDO, Fla. – Residents at an Orlando apartment complex have just more than a week until they need to move out.
Cypress Landing Apartments in Orlando is forcing evictions in order to make repairs following flooding from Hurricane Ian.
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In the days following the storm, residents said the complex’s management company held a meeting, notifying them the apartments need to be vacated. Residents have described flooding several feet deep inside their units during the hurricane.
Orange County Commissioner Myra Uribe has called attention to the complex and its residents, who are mostly low income and non-English speaking. Uribe said the language barrier is continuing to cause a road block with services offered by FEMA. On Wednesday, Spanish-speaking FEMA representatives will meet with residents at Oak Ridge High School. The school is located directly across the street from the apartment complex.
Officials said it appears the complex owner has followed all laws and requirements, and instead call it an unfortunate situation.
Anna Romero lives at Cypress Landing and said she plans to move back to New York.
“I’m moving out all my stuff to move into storage,” Romero said.
She said there are reminders every day of the damage left behind from the flooding.
“Its been quiet. Its been messy. It is messy. There’s a lot of garbage outside, like a lot of broken clothes and that stuff,” Romero said.
Romero also said she welcomes efforts to help better communicate with residents, such as Wednesday’s event with FEMA.
“So everyone gets to understand and (gets) to hear out and get whatever they need for the people moving out. The people who live on the first floor because this was all flooded out,” Romero said.
Many residents have said they lost all of their belongings in the flood.
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