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Inspectors confirm Vie Towers power outage resolved
A City of Hyattsville official confirms city code inspectors have given the Vie Towers apartment building in Hyattsville, MD an "all clear" following reports of a major power outage that could've forced hundreds of college students out of their homes.
Power restored at Vie Towers
HYATTSVILLE, Md. - A City of Hyattsville official confirms city code inspectors have given the Vie Towers apartment building in Hyattsville, MD an "all clear" following reports of a major power outage that could've forced hundreds of college students out of their homes.
What we know:
The building involved is called Vie Towers. It's a 240+ unit apartment building in Hyattsville, MD that bills itself as "off-campus housing" online. It's home to many Howard University and University of Maryland students, along with other young working professionals.
Parents who live out of state contacted FOX 5, scrambling to try and help their children after a city inspector posted an "immediate vacate" to the Vie Towers' front doors Tuesday morning. The power outage led city authorities to deem the building "unhabitable."
What they're saying:
"I was really scared. I was worried, " said Malone, "I was texting my family trying to figure out what to do 'cause there was like an option to get a hotel, but I knew if I got one, I wasn't sure they were going to reimburse me for that."
Renters tell FOX 5 they had been without hot water and electricity since at least Sunday evening.
Building deemed safe after inspection
"It was a long time to go without hot water. And then trying to — like I'm a nursing major, so I have a lot of homework consistently. So, with no Wi-Fi and not being able to do my homework, I don't have the option to leave because I haven't showered, so it's a really hard situation to be in," said Andreyone Malone.
Cindy Zork, the City of Hyattsville Communications Manager, told FOX 5's Tisha Lewis on Tuesday, it's their understanding the multi-day power outage had to do with an issue with an electrical breaker and a needed part not yet arriving.
Zork says residents notified the city officials earlier this week, which investigated and posted an "immediate vacate" order at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Lewis reported.
"It was a long time to go without hot water. And then trying to — like I'm a nursing major, so I have a lot of homework consistently. So, with no Wi-Fi and not being able to do my homework, I don't have the option to leave because I haven't showered, so it's a really hard situation to be in," said Andreyone Malone.
Malone and several other area students were relieved on Wednesday morning to find the power restored and water running. One resident shared an email sent by building management after 10 p.m. Tuesday night, confirming the outage issues had been resolved.
The email also advised residents to run their water for 5-10 minutes before using so water pressure can stabilize and to clear the water pipes of any sediment.
Vie Towers has not responded to FOX 5's requests for comment.
Residents receive rent discounts
What's next:
Residents told FOX 5 they were told Vie Towers would provide $300 off of next month's rent due to the serious inconvenience.
Zork tells FOX 5 once the city's code inspectors got involved, Vie Towers would've faced a $500 fine for everyday the issue persisted, and they were found to be in non-compliance.
Zork also told FOX 5, the city regularly inspects these types of buildings on a two-year cycle, so they do rely on residents to reach out on concerning matters. "Our code inspectors will continue to monitor over the next few days to make sure no problems re-occur," she wrote to FOX 5 on Wednesday.
The Source: FOX 5 DC