Cedar Rapids Today

After being given only two days notice, families and residents of Arrowridge and Shamrock Apartments have to vacate their apartments and remove all their items for storm damage repair, but the length on how long this could take isn't known and many residents have nowhere to go or the means to move.

“I confirmed with the property manager out there that residents formally received notice 48 hours ahead of time, but according to him, he’d been communicating with folks before,” Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker told KCRG. 

Walker and other city officials are trying to work with the property manager to find places for the residents to stay while the damage is being repaired. 

“What is most important to me is that we don’t have folks sleeping on the street at night. So if we can get folks basic, temporary shelter and get their basic needs met, then I can consider that a success while we start to formulate a plan for long-term housing resettlement,” Walker told KCRG. 

If residents don't remove their items, their belongs will be removed for them. 

Meghan Riden, a volunteer with the Emerging Communities Crisis Coalition, said the group will help families with temporary storage for their items and furniture.

“I don’t want to assign blame or be too critical here because these are trying times for everyone, but I would hope every property manager, owner, landlord in this community will do the best that can and work with their local government and local agencies to provide and any assistance that’s needed to a lot for these tenants,” Walker told KCRG.

The city has been working with the landlord to ensure all residents have a place to stay and transportation. 

“We have a responsibility, if not a legal responsibility, certainly a moral responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure folks have a place to lay their head at night,” Walker told KCRG.