Update on weekend apartment flooding

Flooding caused problems at the Berkshire Apartments in Wilmington Sunday.

Heavy rain flooded Belinda Jones’ apartment.

“When I walk I can hear a squish, I thought I was exaggerating, but you can actually hear a squish,” said Jones.

A day later, the squish is gone, but the apartment is in shambles.

Apartment management brought in fans to help dry out the carpeting, but Jones says they are doing little to help.

Jones said, “When I walked in, the smell was terrible. The smell wasn’t good yesterday, but it was worse today.”

Sonya West lives in the apartment across the hall. She got quite a shock when she arrived home late from work Sunday night.

“When I stepped in, my feet actually sunk into the carpet where it was saturated with water,” said West.

Berkshire Apartments does not offer rental or flood insurance, but managers do recommend tenants purchase their own.

Neither West nor Jones has insurance, so they are left to fend for themselves.

Property manager Julie Cafferty said she offered as much help as she could — fans to dry off the carpet, and a dehumidifier.

“As the property manager, I actually did contact one of the residents to let them know that I did receive her call, and to let her know that she would be expecting someone to come out and remove water from all the units,” said Cafferty.

Cafferty said the fans will stay put for at least 48 hours.