House Of Mother And Daughter Rescued From Carrick Flooding Condemned
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A mother and daughter rescued last Friday when a massive water main break flooded Carrick are looking for a permanent place to stay.
Rose Gitzen home in the 400 block of East Agnew Avenue has been condemned. She lived there with her daughter, Wendy.
The pair is now staying at the Hampton Inn in Greentree until next weekend.
They say Penn American Water is working to find them another place to stay, as the hotel is then booked. They also provided the mother and daughter with a debit card for necessities.
Gitzen, 78, and Wendy went back into their flooded-out home to try and recover a few more items, but the home is damaged by water and mud. There is also extensive damage to the ceiling.
Their cats were also rescued from the flooding.
"We've never been this terrified in our lives," Wendy said.
"This is not fair. We didn't do anything wrong," Wendy added.
The water main broke early Friday morning and left much of the South Hills without water.
KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso reached out to both Penn American Water and Pittsburgh Public Safety on Monday afternoon.
Penn American Water issued a statement. They thanked employees, customers and emergency responders who helped after the 24-inch water main broke. Addressing the condemned houses, they said:
"We understand the distress the water main break caused for families in the East Agnew area, and we are committed to working with them until all property damage issues are resolved. Our insurance company and our disaster restoration services contractor haven been on site working directly with affected residents to assess the damage and plan next steps. We are aware of two homes that have been condemned by the City of Pittsburgh, and several more properties that have sustained damage."
They also said that they apologize for mixed answers, but their insurance company is still investigating. The displaced homeowners are being provided with secondary housing for up to a month.
"We don't know what's next," Rose said.
The family received a $600 debit card but has already spent $300.
WATCH: KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso reports live from Carrick.
