JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Several dozen residents at a Westside apartment complex were displaced after a retaining wall slid into a retention pond, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
A JFRD spokesperson with Jacksonville Fire Rescue said callers from Oaks at Normandy felt the ground move and bricks falling around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
“They pulled up in front of my apartment building," said Zach Rafidi, who lives in the complex. "It was a hook and ladder truck, which you never see that. They started roping off the building.”
When Zach Rafidi saw firefighters start telling people to leave the building across from his at Oaks at Normandy, he immediately started worrying about his mother and sister who live inside.
“I called her and told her, you need to get out, something’s happening," said Rafidi.
Rafidi learned what was happening moments later – a retaining wall collapsed into the retention pond by the building, exposing the foundation.
“It was evacuated, code enforcement deemed it unsafe to occupy," said JFRD Spokesperson Eric Prosswimmer. "We couldn’t put anybody in any danger.”
That meant 24 units, with about 50 people inside.
About half of those had friends and family to stay with. The other half was bussed to a shelter for the night.
Structural Engineer Ron Woods said that while the collapse may not have been entirely weather related, all the rain from Hurricane Debby could’ve been a contributing factor.
“Maybe it caused some pressure on the wall outward from the weight of the soil behind it," said Woods.
Woods says based on what he can see in pictures, the repair could take months. “Looks like there’s going to a lot of foundation to the building behind it. The retaining wall itself is going to have to be rebuilt.”
Rafidi says the Red Cross let him grab medication for his mom while she’s staying with him for the time being, but most of her belongings are still left inside.
“I’m going to have to invest in some kind of air mattress or something. I’m not working right now, so we’ll figure something out.”
According to the city, representatives from the Emergency Preparedness Division, Code Compliance, Property Management, Fire Prevention and the Red Cross held a briefing for displaced residents.
The property was condemned and residents were evacuated, according to a city spokesperson. An engineer is assessing the integrity of the building and future plans will depend on the engineer's report. Residents are being assisted with retrieving their belongings.
Residents were provided temporary housing at a nearby hotel while the city said permanent housing or relocations are being coordinated through the property owner.
The city's shelter at the Legends Center served 24 residents and two pets Tuesday with the Red Cross providing food, and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and JTA offering other assistance.
