Canterbury Green Apts. flooded

FORT WAYNE, Ind., (WANE)--- - It's a renters worst nightmare--waking up to a disaster in your place, that you can't control. That is the reality for a number of families living in Canterbury Green Apartments in Fort Wayne, after flooding from a broken pipe destroyed most of their belongings.

"A girl knocked on my door, and said 'you're about to get flooded'", recalled displaced resident Mary Marin. "When, I opened the door, a ton of muddy, filthy water came pouring it. It was probably a good six inches of brown, slushy, muddy water. I had stuff floating in my house."

According to AIMCO, the company that owns Canterbury Green, the flooding was caused by an a break in an underground water main. It happened last Thursday around midnight. A total of 12 units were affected.

For Marin and the other families, the first instinct was to salvage what they could.

"I grabbed my daughter and said let's save the big screen," said Marin.

But, keeping up with the rushing water from the broken pipe was nearly impossible. The aftermath is soggy furniture, a layer of mud, and moldy insulation. The water's gone, but now, it's on to a flood of frustration.

Marin says,"It's just been terrible. It's been horrible. No one really knows what to do."

Marin and other residents say they're frustrated with how the complex responded to the disaster. One claims it took officials as long as four hours to shut the water off. Another complaint is that fans weren't brought in soon enough to dry things out.

"The worst part of it is, they're not taking responsibility. It doesn't help the situation at all," said displaced resident and IPFW student Chido Ezelo.

Canterbury Green has taken liability for the pipe. Crews have torn out carpeting, and are fixing the building. The complex does not plan to replace any damaged belongings.

Ezelo isn't happy about that. He says,"Just my furniture alone, that was over two thousand dollars."

Complex officials point to renter's insurance as a solution, but Ezelo, Marin and most of the others who were displaced didn't have it.

A typical renters insurance policy would pay out to replace personal belongings in this case.

In the meantime, the displaced families have been moved to other apartments.

A statement released from AIMCO says, "The safety and well being of our Canterbury Green residents are our top priorities. We expect all residents to be able to return to their apartment homes by the middle of next week and certainly in time for the Thanksgiving holiday."