ADRIAN, Mich. — More than 100 people living inside a Michigan apartment complex had to leave with just a few hours' notice after managers at the Riverview Terrace Apartments notified them about a mandatory evacuation.
Engineers in Lenawee County found structural issues on the third floor of the 12-story building, according to the City of Adrian.
"It's old and you can kind of understand why it happened," resident Steve Compton said.
Scott Beltz, who works for the property management company, said he feels bad, but is glad the residents are safely out of the building.
"We're not in the business of moving people out of the housing, we're in the business of moving them in," Beltz said. "Obviously, it's something I'm not used to doing or wanting to do it again."
The residents only had a few hours to pack what they could and figure out where to go. And for people without help nearby, the city opened up the local senior center.
"We've prepared for similar situations like this, so when the call went out this morning my brain went into, 'what can we do to help folks out?" Adrian's Parks and Recreation Director Jeremiah Davies said.
"This was a logical place to rally folks together," he said of the senior center.
Renters said that despite being out of a home, they're thankful for how many people stepped up to make them comfortable.
Now, they have to figure out what to do next.
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do after that," Compton said. "If I have a home now or if I'm going to have to look for someplace."
Beltz said he does not know long fixing the problem will take.
"It could be a couple of days. We don't know," he said. "Our number one goal is to take care of the residents. And make sure that they're safe."
Beltz said he spent the day looking for hotels for the residents who had nowhere else to go, and the apartment complex is paying for them.
He also said they are hoping to get more information on the building and the issue in the next 24 hours.
On July 28, a state of emergency was declared over the situation. Residents will not be able to move back in for several months.