NEW HAVEN -- After a weekend alone, in what is essentially a condemned apartment building, Emily is safe.
Last Thursday, due to structural deficiencies, New Haven's building officials and anti-blight agency mandated a move out by all 83 residents of the Norton Towers Apartments.
Monday, they were permitted to return and retrieve some essentials.
That includes Emily, a parakeet.
"I was glad when I found her alive," said Elsa Bradley, as she was walking out of Norton Towers Monday afternoon, holding a cage, which contained a chirping Emily.
Tenants from nearly half of the 37 leased units in the building showed up to claim some of their possessions. And one resident said not being able to get all of their furniture until the building is deemed safe is simply a minor inconvenience
"If we didn't notice (structural issues), God forbid, all of us maybe would have died in that building and nobody knows what happened to us," said Shelly Sutherland, who has lived in Norton Towers with her family of five for over four years.
New Haven’s building official, Jim Turcio, said last week that the apartment building is basically being held up by the structure's plumbing.
"We don’t know that for sure until we explore further and cut open the walls and see exactly what’s going on with the joists and everything else on each floor," said Christopher Randazzo, the building's Maintenance Manager.
Meanwhile, the property management company will keep paying for each displaced tenants' accommodations in one of three local motels.
And, there's more.
"We have given them prepaid Visa cards to help with food and other essentials in the time being, which will be reloaded as needed," said Stacey OConnell, one of the Building Managers.
***During the FOX61 News at 4 Monday, we inadvertently misidentified the building’s management company as Mandy Management, who sold Norton Towers in 2015. The current Building Manager is Mendy Katz.***