Work begins at East Haven apartment complex

EAST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- The doors are still padlocked, and there's still caution tape around an East Haven apartment complex, but residents there say thanks to News 8 they're finally getting some help.

More than one month after Superstorm Sandy damaged their apartment building, residents in East Haven were still waiting for work to be done. Forced out of their home, they called News 8 to help them get answers. We met them last week and the following is what they told us.

"I'm loaded with anxiety, big time," said Brad Whittaker, 10-year resident.

"Every day you call the office they say they're gonna start working today, they're gonna start working today, and every day nothing happens," said Bob Pellegrino, two-year resident.

Something happened after News 8 talked to them; workers showed up and got started on the job.

"I really wanted to thank you guys for doing your piece and coming when we called you and getting this rolling, helping us get back to living normally," said Pellegrino.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done, but residents say the fact that it's happening is what matters.

"They got the call to get all the wet rugs and the wet debris out of the apartments, they got these big machines, they're drying everything," said Pellegrino, "and the next step I guess is for the roofers to come in to fix the roof and the heating unit has to be put back on, so we're still a ways from getting in but at least they started."

The management company says it finally got the insurance approval it needed to start the work.

"Just knowing that our own is being fixed and that we're going to have our own again is an awesome feeling," Pellegrino said. "Thanks for being there, being someone to turn to because it's a bad feeling when you know no one will listen to you. We go to the city hall, they don't want to know nothing. They send you from office to office, it was funny. They just said go to this office, go to that office and each office doesn't know anything. So it's good to have someone help you out, listen to their problems."

The big question that remains is when will residents get to move back in. News 8 called the realty company and asked them that very question. They told us they can't give a definitive answer, but they did promise us that there will be crews working there five days a week until the job gets done.