Floods left her without power — still. Help hard to come by in Wyandotte County

Abigael Lopez was asleep with her two young children when she heard her neighbors calling out that their homes were flooding during the record rainfall two weeks ago.

Now, the ground floor units of the Villa Alegre Apartamentos on Freeman Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, lay completely empty. Their doors are gone, and walls are cut up. An alarm beeps as you walk through the building. Ruined belongings overflow the dumpster and spill onto the lawn.

According to a press release from the KCK Fire Department, apartments flooded with waist-high water, and a natural gas leak created a compound in the air that nearly exploded. First responders were able to turn off the gas line and ventilate the building to prevent an explosion.

Lopez lives on one of the building’s higher floors, meaning her apartment was spared among those that were devastated by floodwaters that evening.

Even so, her family didn’t make it to the other side of the storms unscathed — she hasn’t had electricity in her home in almost two weeks, and she said the local government hasn’t done anything to help her out.

“A mi todavia no me han ayudado en eso,” she said, referring to the lack of help she’s received.

With two children and another on the way, Lopez said it’s essential that their electricity be restored, especially after days of sultry heat. Daily high temperatures in the Kansas City area have regularly been in the 90-degree range in recent weeks.

Lopez doesn’t have anywhere else to go, she told The Star, so the family has continued living out of their unit. Her neighbor, who has power, and a cousin have let her and the kids stay in their air conditioning during particularly hot days.

Some of her neighbors have since gotten power back. And although she’s called the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), the Unified Government and her property manager, she still hasn’t seen results or received much information on when her power will be restored.

No help from the UG

At a press conference early last week, officials from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK gathered to discuss aid available to residents in the aftermath of the July 17 and 18 floods. The area received 7 to 11 inches of rain in 12 hours, officials said, causing flooding to a degree not seen in decades.

Mayor Tyrone Garner and Unified Government department heads emphasized their efficiency in delivering assistance to affected residents.

“I just want to reassure our public again that our team here in the Unified Government is on point,” Garner said at the event. “We’re out there, and we’re going to continue to work to make sure that these resources are put in the areas where they’re needed the most.”

Multiple speakers stressed the importance of residents calling 311 with any concerns or assistance needed in wake of the floods. If callers leave their complete contact information, the government will reach out with help, they said.

They said those who call other city or county numbers will be directed to the right place too.

“You can call the mayor’s office as well; we can bridge you to the appropriate resources,” Garner said.

But Lopez hasn’t had this experience. She called the Unified Government and the BPU for help with returning her power, but so far, no one has reached out to offer assistance.

“Ya llamé a la electricidad, a los del apartamento y los de la ciudad,” she said. “Y nada de nada.”

Evacuating the apartment

Taped to the building’s entrance facing North 29th Street is a bright pink slip of paper reading “UNFIT FOR HUMAN USE OR HABITATION.”

With it, the Unified Government ordered all those living at 2903-2917 Freeman Ave. to vacate “immediate(ly).” If residents do not, they could face a fine of up to $2,500 and even a jail sentence of up to six months, according to the notice.

The document — posted only in English, a language Lopez is not fluent in — did not specify whether all or only certain units must be evacuated.

“As of today, all buildings have been posted unfit for human habitation,” a Unified Government representative said in an email to The Star on Tuesday.

In the emailed statement, officials said that the notice was posted July 23 and cited a lack of hot water and gas as uninhabitable conditions. It set a hearing for Aug. 7 to give “the owner, mortgagee, and all parties in interest” the chance to testify about the building’s conditions and future.

“Enforcement of this will not be in place until after the unfit hearing,” the statement read. “It is at that time we will have a better idea/understanding of their plans moving forward.”

After the hearing, the Unified Government will have the discretion to enforce the notice to vacate or not. It will have the authority to factor in if forcing people to vacate would “place unnecessary hardship on residents and owners” or if tenants’ health and safety is at risk.

Building managers respond

As of Tuesday, Lopez was not aware of the Unified Government’s notice or the hearing date, she said.

Somehow, neither was Axel Cortez, who works for the apartment’s management company as a project and operations manager.

“We know there are nine units that are completely unavailable, with some in total disaster unfortunately,” Cortez said. “We know we can’t have people in there. But the rest of the units are in good condition. They didn’t have any damage from the water.”

Cortez conceded that hot water access is an ongoing issue and confirmed that the gas has been shut off since the floods due to a suspected leak. He said it can’t be turned back on until new water heaters are installed next week.

The Unified Government’s notice also states that “a written notice listing all repair, reconstruction, alteration, removal or demolition requirements will be mailed to interested parties.” If these conditions are not met, “the Public Officer or his designee shall institute legal proceedings to demolish or bring the property into compliance.”

In its statement to The Star, the Unified Government said they sent notices “to the legal owner and the property manager listed.”

“This does not include the requirements, but it does mention that all utility services will need to be restored to all buildings and the commercial interior remodeling being done,” the statement read.

A representative from Ranger Management, which oversees the apartments, said their team did not originally receive the mailings. Ranger Management bought the building a little over a year ago, she explained, and the Unified Government sent the mailings to the previous owner.

“This was definitely unexpected to happen,” Cortez said, adding that he and others are working to have the apartments functional again within the next two months.

Ranger Management temporarily moved residents who lost their homes into four vacant units or hotel rooms, Cortez said, until they can sign leases to move into other properties the group oversees.