Evacuated resident Roger Ritter said he's not surprised rooftops were torn away and walls collapsed at the Andrews Ridge Apartments during Friday's high-wind assault on the region.
"I don't think it should have happened," Ritter said outside an emergency shelter operated by the Red Cross for displaced residents at the nearby Suitland Community Center. "I think it was bad maintenance."
The wall of Ritter's building collapsed during the wind storm Friday leaving his apartment and possessions exposed to the weather.
Ritter said the interior walls of his apartment had been stripped and repaired by maintenance crews after cracks appeared, only to appear again months later.
Ritter said engineers had been to his building to inspect.
Prince George's County inspectors have declared four of the complex's 17 buildings unlivable because of the extreme damage but have not drawn any conclusions about what the cause of the collapses may have been, according to Tyrone Wells of the Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management.
Inspectors continue to investigate and will be looking into the history of the buildings.
The complex was constructed in 1964.
Andrews Ridge is owned and operated by the Donaldson Group of Rockville, which has not responded to a message left by WUSA9 late Tuesday.
The Donaldson Group is providing relocation assistance to residents who will not be able to re-occupy the damaged buildings, according to Wells.
Residents of the 13 relatively undamaged buildings may be able to move back in by the end of the week once utilities and central heating are restored, Wells said.
The complex's main boilers are housed in one of the buildings that suffered a collapsed. Portable boilers must be installed on the property.
At least 400 residents have been evacuated since Friday.
The Red Cross continues to operate a relief shelter at the Suitland Community Center. Less than a dozen residents are sheltering at the center overnight, but at least 75 are taking advantage of meal service.
Ritter is among the residents who are contacting lawyers because they firmly believe the collapse could have been prevented, despite the extreme winds.
"I'm just thankful nobody got hurt," Ritter said.
