Residents displaced by Miami Gardens fire learn building was not insured
MIAMI - Residents of a Miami Gardens of the New World Condo Apartments on NW177th Street, who lost everything when a fire heavily damaged it over the weekend, are upset and confused after learning they were no longer insured.
"Our insurance company canceled our insurance, as most people know because the 40-year certification was not done," according to the property manager.
She said the board chose not to go with it because it was too expensive to do the 40-year recertification. And the Board chose not to approve a special assessment.
After learning about this during a meeting with the property manager and the Red Cross, residents were very upset because their rent had just been raised.
"Six months ago, it was raised 6 months ago. I don't know that lady, I never met her, this is my first time meeting her," said one upset resident who heard from the property manager for the first time.
Others said they paid fees so they were confused as to why there was no insurance at the New World Condominiums Apartments at 395 N.W. 177th St.
"Once we pay the HOA fees, insurance is included in the HOA fees and we didn't have any insurance, we are not responsible for that. She is responsible for that, the gate has not been working, the garbage has not been picked up," said one angry resident.
Nearly 200 people are displaced,
Among them are Zorodzai Rukwasi and her husband Wesnerson Augustin and their son.
Rukwasi told CBS4's Peter D'Oench "The frustrating thing is we lost all our deposits and we were hoping to get them back and find something to start from but we are on zero. It is scary and today earlier it started kicking in that we are homeless. I don't know what we are going to do. We lost everything. Not only are we homeless but we lost everything."
Augustin said, "We were hoping to have somewhere to go from today but we have nowhere to go. And we are worried."
Miami Dade Fire Rescue was called to the apartment complex fire around 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Thick smoke billowed from the building as flames quickly spread across the second floor. Firefighters battled the blaze, but the windy conditions enhanced it, leading to a collapse of a majority of the roof.
At least 75 units were damaged, about half of them destroyed.
The Red Cross is providing assistance to those in need at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreation Center.
So far the Red Cross is housing 75 people and two pets and will do indefinitely.
Stephanie Wesseling, a Development Communications Manager with the Red Cross, said "We are going to be open for as long as someone needs a place to stay. That is a promise to residents who are displaced."
"Your heart goes out to them?" She was asked.
"Yes, absolutely," she said. "This is such a heart-wrenching disaster to experience. One thing people don't realize is that the Red Cross responds to 60,000 disasters a year."
Those not staying in their shelter can still go to the rec center for services, whether it's food, medical or mental health.
A spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told CBS4 that due to the extent of the damage, the cause of the blaze was undetermined.
