Bethel Towers residents struggle through weeks without AC as Atlanta temperatures soar: "I gasp for air"

Residents inside the all-brick Bethel Towers apartments say they are living without working air conditioning, some for over a week, and others for three weeks.

Shay Boyd says the AC unit in her apartment stopped working last Tuesday. By late morning, the indoor thermostat was already reading 97 degrees.

"I have breathing problems, and at night, I gasp for air; I can't sleep, you can't even cook because it's so hot," Boyd said. "Nobody wants to live in this heat; it's hot outside and even hotter inside."

A few floors down, Marcia Jones reported going without cool air for more than three weeks.

"It's been out three weeks and two days. I'm counting just because that's how horrible it is," Jones said. "I'm just doing my best, just trying to get through the day. That's all I can do."

Jones added that the oppressive conditions inside the complex are especially dangerous for young families.

"We have a lot of children in here that's just suffering," Jones said. "You can hear them screaming and crying."

Residents report receiving window box fans, water, and Gatorade to cope with the soaring temperatures. There are still water and fans available. 

Big Bethel AME Church, which is connected to the apartment building, opened its downstairs area to serve as an emergency cooling center.

Many residents turned to the church's pastor, Rev. Dr. Jay Augustine, for support.

"It is absolutely unconscionable," Rev. Augustine said. "No one should be treated as the residents of Bethel Towers have been treated. They've been subjected to the worst conditions in the heat of Atlanta literally for the last more than two weeks or so with air conditioner out; there's been no rational explanation given."

In a statement sent to CBS News Atlanta, a representative for the building's ownership group explained that the property's centralized boiler and chiller system caused building-wide failures: "The property brought in United Mechanics last week when this issue arose, and they have been at the property daily working on the chiller system. Multiple parts of the system have failed. Currently, the understanding is that the pump is being replaced and that the part should arrive and be installed tomorrow. Normally, this pump would take 4 weeks to arrive, but the contractor was able to accelerate the delivery. With old buildings like Bethel, there comes an old boiler and chiller system. So, when the system goes down, it affects every unit. That is unlike traditional mixed-use buildings with individual systems.The property is doing all it can with the contractor to fix the units. They are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and any discomfort of the residents."