PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Residents of the Heron Pond condominium complex in Pembroke Pines have only one weekend left to get their belongings out and evacuate.
The complex is starting to feel like a ghost town, with only a few residents’ vehicles left.
“We didn’t expect that they would tell us all of a sudden that we need to move out of here,” said resident Washif Ansar.
Ansar has lived there for nine months.
In late July, he and all residents of the condominium’s 19 buildings woke up to advisories saying everyone must be out by August 29.
“It was too short,” said Ansar. “They could have let us know prior that we had to move out.”
Last August, Local 10 News first reported on cracks in the buildings and steel supports being installed to hold up balconies.
In September, six buildings were deemed unsafe, and that was expanded to include all 19 buildings last month.
“It’s been tough,” said Ansar. “We’ve been looking for another accommodation, and luckily we found one.”
Since then, residents of all 170 units have been in a race against the clock to get everything out and find somewhere else to stay.
Ansar says he worried about the quality of the buildings when he moved there, but never thought they were in such bad of shape that it would require moving out.
“It was not up to the mark,” he said. “They always had a notification that it’s unsafe, but they convinced us that it’s not a problem at all.”
Engineers with the city of Pembroke Pines who have been inspecting the buildings raised concerns about whether they would be able to withstand strong winds.
They even said that if the area was put under a tropical storm watch, all structures would need to be evacuated immediately.
Thankfully for residents, that has not happened, and so they have until Thursday of next week to get out.