MIAMI – Elderly and disabled residents of a Miami-Dade high rise are stuck after the building’s elevators suddenly stopped working.
Nobody seems to know when they’ll be fixed, either.
The broken elevators are just the latest in a series of issues for that tower.
Darianne Diago lives in one of the nearly 200 units that make up Civic Towers Apartments.
“We need help, that’s what we need,” she said.
Both of the building’s elevators are out of service, meaning every single resident must use the stairs.
Those who can’t use the stairs are essentially trapped in the building.
“My grandma is a cancer survivor. If I have to take her to the hospital, how am I going to get her down the stairs?” Daigo said.
An Amazon delivery driver who showed up while Local 10 was filming had to climb 17 floors with a package marked for a tenant.
City of Miami firefighters were called to the building nearly half a dozen times since Saturday for medical emergencies, and they too had to climb the stairs.
The most recent call required the service of a city ladder truck.
Tenants at the Civic Towers have reported various problems in the past, such as an overflowing trash pile that has been mounting nearby.
Residents say they’ve received little help, if any at all, from management about the issues.
“I’m beyond upset,” said Beatriz Nunez Capote, whose 73-year-old mother lives in the building. “It’s gone on for years. These people can’t even speak up for themselves.