Two towers at Hyde Park's The Algonquin have been in the dark for days, and displaced residents have had it
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Residents of two towers in The Algonquin apartment complex will find an orange sign from the Chicago Department of Buildings reading "Notice: off limits – do not enter" posted on the front door.
As CBS 2's Marybel González reported Tuesday night, the residents were all forced out because of electrical problems – and they still have no clue when they might be able to go back home.
Hundreds of residents altogether have been left in the dark – quite literally – with their power out and their questions unanswered. The city said power went out at the complex on Friday and again on Saturday.
ComEd tried to fix the outages. But the utility said the demand was higher than what it could supply at the time at two of the six buildings that make up The Algonquin – a 1951 residential development designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and located along Cornell Avenue between 50th and 51st streets.
"This has been a whole Christmas nightmare," one woman said. "I have never in my 49 years experienced anything like this."
The woman was one of several tenants in The Algonquin with whom González spoke Tuesday night. They did not want to be identified – but they did want to be heard.
They are frustrated because they say they have been displaced from their homes for days.
"It's a disgrace," a woman said. "They are treating us like animals. We are hardworking people."
The tenants' ordeal started when the power went out Friday afternoon, right before the cold snap hit the Chicago area. They were left with no heat, and little explanation.
It was not until Saturday that they were offered vouchers to stay at a hotel.
"We're fending for ourselves. Ain't no food – no nothing," a man said. "You've got people not – they've got to take Ubers – that's paying extra out of their money; out of their balance that they weren't looking forward to paying."
Right now, two of the complex's towers remain in the dark – with the "do not enter" signs from the City of Chicago deeming them unsafe. That means residents can't even get in to gather their belongings.
"All of our stuff is just sitting out there to be stolen," another man said.
In emails sent to tenants and forwarded to us, Mac Properties – the company that owns the complex – blamed the power outage on a transformer failure affecting two of their buildings. They say they are working with the city and ComEd to restore the power, but did not say when that will happen.
That has left the residents unsure about when they will be able to return home.
"At first, they said Monday, then they said Tuesday," one tenant said.
"They told me Thursday - that we have the hotels until Thursday," another said.
The city said in order to restore power Mac Properties will need to hire an electrical engineer and contractor, obtain the proper electrical permits, and work with ComEd on infrastructure that can support the demand of the two buildings that are in the dark.
Again, there was no word late Tuesday on exactly when that will happen.