After nearly three weeks as evacuees, the former tenants of Heritage House Apartments got a much-needed dose of good news Saturday.
That’s when St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announced that the city has secured at least one hotel, and was in the process of securing a second, to provide rooms for the evacuees, including 120 still sheltering at the Hilton by the St. Louis International Airport. They’ll be able to stay in them until February 29.
The good news couldn’t have come soon enough. Up until Jones’ announcement, the Heritage House tenants were under the belief they needed to move out of the Hilton by Tuesday.
A woman who’s lived at Heritage House for more than 10 years expressed joy and relief at Saturday’s news. She’s been living in hotel rooms with her husband since January 15, when water pipes at the 18-story high-rise on Olive Street in Midtown St. Louis froze up and burst, flooding many floors and the basement, resulting in the 252-unit building’s condemnation.
“This is like a nightmare I haven’t woken up from,” said the woman, who asked that her name not be used. She and her husband were originally evacuated to the Hilton at the Ballpark and stayed there a week before being moved to the Hilton by the airport.