DALLAS, Texas — Hundreds of displaced residents from the Elan City Lights Apartments will continue to be without a majority of their belongings after the owners of the complex said they need approval from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration before returning any items stranded in apartments.
On June 9th, severe storms knocked over a construction crane into the apartments.
The collapse killed one and injured several others.
Around 500 residents suddenly had to find temporary housing, and many were only given 5 minutes to retrieve whatever they could carry out of their homes before the structure was deemed unlivable.
Many residents living next to the crane's path told WFAA that they don't expect to salvage any of their belongings from their homes due to the structural integrity of the building in that area of the complex.
But residents living nowhere near the crane's path are still waiting on a timeline for when they will see their stuff again.
Owners of the complex were supposed to start itemizing and shipping belongings back to residents last week, according to an e-mail.
But in new correspondence to residents, that process is going to be delayed.
"While we previously communicated that the process to move your personal belongings would begin this week, there are factors beyond our control that are delaying this process," an e-mail from owners said.
Those factors include submitting a move-out plan to OSHA and waiting for them to approve it.
The e-mail goes on to say that, "The moving plan must be approved through governmental authorities who are considering the safety of those executing the plan, and the restriction and control of the OSHA preservation zone, which is the investigation area within the property. The move-out plan is still being finalized to incorporate the requirements of OSHA and will be submitted for approval once completed."
The update leaves residents like Abbey Kearney and her husband in a life limbo.
They've been living in the Omni since the accident, and plan on staying there until they can move into a new place in July.
"This isn't something that you can prepare for," Kearney said. "This is our home until the end of the month."
Kearney and her husband's home was across the courtyard from the crane's path, leaving their apartment untouched.
Both of their cars were considered total losses, but there are still a lot of valuables in their apartment that they'd like to have back.
"I have guitars in there, a piano, and my husband has his baseball card collection that he's been working on since he was a child," Kearney said.
But there are also family heirlooms trapped inside too, like furniture dating back to the 1940s.
"It's just the stuff that we can't replace, our memories, our scrapbook," Kearney said.
The couple said that patience is tough to come by right now, but added they're keeping things in perspective until OSHA gets the ball rolling.
"We're very fortunate to have what we have," Kearney said.
"We escaped with our lives."
DALLAS CRANE COLLAPSE COVERAGE: