Cars trapped under unsafe Glen Burnie building may not be recovered for months

People whose vehicles remain trapped in the parking garage beneath the Empire Towers building in Glen Burnie, which was evacuated and declared unsafe on July 9, could be waiting months to get them back.  

CBS News Baltimore obtained an email from the building's management to tenants stating that emergency work is underway to stabilize the structure.

However, the email says an engineer's analysis indicates it will not be safe to remove the vehicles within the next 90 days, and no one will be allowed to enter the building for the foreseeable future.

"Until we obtain the appropriate clearances, we are unable to permit access to the parking garage or the building," the email reads.

What's next?

County officials said approximately 100 people were evacuated after unpermitted construction work in the parking garage caused ceilings to sag and exposed rebar on Thursday, July 9. 

Dozens of vehicles remain in the parking garage after employees were forced to leave without them.

The county initially established a 150-foot safety perimeter around the 10-story privately owned building, equal to one and a half times the building's height, due to a collapse risk.

The email said the complexity of the stabilization and shoring work has caused delays because crews had to address specific issues before they could safely enter the parking garage.

"Unfortunately, we do not yet know the extent or specific nature of those repairs or how long they will take to complete," the email says.

The email added that once the emergency shoring is finished, management will spoke with the building owner's structural engineers and Anne Arundel County about when people can retrieve their vehicles and person property.