Residents of the Potomac Oaks condominiums in Gaithersburg, Maryland, are still looking for answers about what to do next one month after an explosion destroyed their building.
The explosion destroyed their condos on Quince Orchard Boulevard a week before Thanksgiving. As Christmas and the new year approach, residents fear they’ll have more holidays spent sleeping on borrowed sofas and in hotel rooms as many of them are still looking for permanent housing.
"I’m very confused at this point. I don't know what to do," resident Lisa Hamilton said.
Residents were allowed to go beyond the fence outlining the debris of their old building for the first time this week.
Wearing hardhats, they looked at the damage up close and took photos. But they weren't allowed to take their belongings. They were told it’s still too dangerous.
"People just want to go in there and get their stuff and they're not even being allowed to take their property," one resident said.
Several of the residents told News4 they haven't been able to get answers about when they can get their stuff or about the future of the buildings.
"We’re just asking for a little bit of empathy and common sense. Not everyone can afford temporary housing in Montgomery County so children will be uprooted from their schools," resident Traci DiMartini said.
The explosion, which left at least 10 people injured, was the act of a man who died by suicide, Montgomery County police said.
Because it happened at a condo building, there are many layers residents must wade through to get answers including different insurance companies, the property management and the condo's board.
Montgomery County officials said the county has provided first month’s rent and security deposits for some residents
because they won’t be able to move back any time soon.
"They're really going to want to start thinking about medium-term plans and working with the condo association to find out when construction would begin and, no doubt, once construction begins, they'll have a better idea from their contractors how long it will take to rebuild," said Patrick Campbell, planning manager with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.
Campbell said the county will check in again with displaced families next week to discuss their needs.
