Frustrated residents wonder how long they’ll be displaced after crane collapse in midtown

ATLANTA — It’s night two of not being able to go home for a thousand people displaced by a crane malfunction in midtown.

They now know the cause of the collapse, one of the counterweights became dislodged and now the crane will need to be dismantled.

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But frustration is growing for those who’ve been evacuated from their homes, who just want a timeline as to how long they’ll be out of their homes.

“It’s sounding like it could be into the weekend maybe even longer than that,” said Sierra Martin, a tenant of Tens on West.

Martin and her dog Ziggy are now sleeping at her boyfriend’s apartment. She is hoping for more information so they can figure out what is next.

The collapse has Ivan Buitrago headed for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

“I’m heading to Florida tonight I’m going to go stay with family and friends,” said Buitrago who has no return ticket.

Buitrago and Martin were evacuated from their building, for safety reasons.

They were offered the chance to stay at a shelter on Tuesday night, they received confirmation that their stay at two hotels will be covered. But they want to know how long it will take to dismantle this crane and if they’ll be reimbursed for expenses.

“Also got to think about meals, people have groceries at home,” said Martin. “Just a matter of real estate developers taking more accountability for the city they’re developing in.”

Channel 2 Action News heard from the construction company over the site where the crane collapsed Tuesday. They responded with the following statement:  “The Balfour Beatty team, crane engineers, OSHA and local authorities are currently working to develop a crane dismantling plan and timeline to ensure the project site and adjacent residential building are safe and secure.”

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But for the hundreds out of their homes, they say even an estimate will help them plan.

“Nobody really knows so we are up in the air with that,” said Buitrago.

The management at the building told Channel Two they’re “exploring other avenues aimed at reimbursing residents for their out of pocket expenses”

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