West Orange residents displaced by Ida say they're still piecing their lives back together
WEST ORANGE, N.J. -- One year after Ida, we're revisiting a New Jersey community that became homeless in a heartbeat.
The intense rain last September triggered a rockslide next to an apartment complex. But it wasn't until weeks later, in the overnight hours, that the town of West Orange evacuated dozens of residents.
Several days after Ida, Gwenda Williams worried when she saw the proverbial cracks in the story from the Township of West Orange -- if her apartment complex on Northfield Avenue was safe.
On Sept. 1 2021, Ida sent a tree into a building and triggered a rockslide, totaling cars. Then, six weeks later on Oct. 11, officials told Williams, "You have five minutes to pack and bag. This complex is deemed unsafe."
"Worst evening of my life," she told CBS2's Lisa Rozner.
"It was between 11:30 and 12 at night," resident Ray Bell added.
The town made the late-night call to evacuate all 44 rental units, because an engineering report warned the slope was not stable.
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The mayor's philanthropic fund covered three months of hotel stays. The landlord, John Jakimowicz, returned security deposits and provided around $1,200 dollars for moving expenses.
Residents were allowed back in to remove items, including furniture. But with high rents and little time, 69-year-old Irma Steinfeld had to move a half hour away.
"It's been a year, and all my things are still in storage," she said. "Because I live in a private house and I rent a room."
The landlord had said the site would be demolished. But a year later, the town says no permit applications have been filed.
"It's a shame," said Bell. "I'd like to see him knock this down, put affordable housing."
A representative for the town told Rozner around $350,000 was spent on hotel bills, meals and police overtime. The township is now suing the landlord to recoup some of that.
About two-thirds of the residents hired an attorney. They're considering suing the town, the landlord and Seton Hall Prep, which had previously cut down hundreds of trees.
"A lot of them are still suffering, not just that they're displaced," said Thomas Cataldo, attorney for the tenants.
"It has affected me, and it's visible," resident Christine Catalano said.
Catalano, a single mom of two, lived there for nearly three decades. She said she's experiencing hair loss, and the owner of her current rental wants to sell. So once again, in the middle of the school year and holidays, the family could be homeless.
Rozner contacted the landlord and his attorney, but neither of them got back to her for this story.
A representative for Seton Hall Prep said it maintains that cutting down the trees to build its athletic complex was not a factor in the rockslide.
"In the 36 years that Seton Hall Prep has been in West Orange, we have held the residents of town as our neighbors and as such we were deeply saddened to see our neighbors displaced because of Hurricane Ida and the resulting rockslide. We maintain that the Kelly Athletic Complex is not a factor in the rockslide. We understand the frustration and grief of our neighbors, and as we have from the beginning, we will continue to pray for the return of our neighbors to their homes," they said in a statement.
