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Overcast Two Bayview Gardens apartments separate in Inwood
A quiet summer Sunday evening was shattered as the floors in two of the four apartments in the two-story Building 10 of the Bayview Gardens apartment complex at 385 Bayview Ave. in Inwood separated between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Amazingly, no one was injured and everyone was evacuated.
“First all the doors fell off, and I heard a boom like sound,” said resident Mozella Hawkins, “all my doors fell from the closets, and one fell on my arm. There were cracks on the walls, it was a disaster. I called the supervisor, I called 911, and said I did not want it to be like Florida. I was frightened to death.” Hawkins was referring to the Surfside, Fla. Building collapse that occurred on June 24. As of July 22, 97 people were confirmed dead
The floor separation was nowhere near as severe, but Town of Hempstead Code Enforcement officials responded and posted warning signs on the outside apartment doors of the house-like structure. Residents describe the damage as an internal collapse. The signs read: “Warning Structure Unfit for Human Occupancy,” and “Unsafe Structure Do Not Enter.”
Hawkins, who was one of the few residents at the scene later in the morning, said she is scared, angry and does not know where she will be living. “They said they are going to find something, they are looking, and I am waiting for a place,” she said. The “they” Hawkins is referring to is the town. She is one of the many residents frustrated that their building collapsed.
Barbara Thompson, outreach coordinator for St. John Baptist Church, also in Inwood, is asking for support and assistance during this time. “We are hoping the whole place will be inspected,” she said. There are other tenants here who are complaining. This was very frightening, the collapse started from the top of the apartments all the way down.”
The three other tenants who live in the building were evacuated and declined to comment about the collapse.
“We are asking for Ms. Hawkins to relocate to vacant apartments in the area, and we are looking for help to replace her furniture and her clothing, just about everything was destroyed,” Thompson said. “We are hoping the community can help surround these tenants with what they need.”
The apartment complex’s landlord, Jennifer Sparling said she is focused on addressing this issue and making sure tenants are in a safe space. “Anyone who did not have a place to go last night I helped them out to make sure they found a place,” she said. “If they have to go to a hotel, we will reimburse them, most of the tenants went to stay with friends or family.”
Sparling said she is bringing in an engineer to review the other apartment structures in the complex.
Have an opinion on the condition of the Bayview Gardens complex? Send letter to jbessen@liherald.com .
