INDIANAPOLIS — The timing of this week's cold weather couldn't be worse for people living in an Irvington apartment complex without power.
That outage has lasted more than a week.
While there's now a way for residents to get a break, some said it's not a good option, and they want to know when a fix will come.
Last Friday, Irvington Lofts management, Mark III Management, offered to start paying for residents to stay in a hotel. Many took them up on the offer, knowing the cold temperatures were around the corner.
"We were totally in the dark," resident Eric Kaylor said.
Anything seemed better to Kaylor. That's why he was more than willing to stay at a hotel at 21st Street and Shadeland Avenue when the apartment's management offered to foot the bill.
"I thought it would be best for all of us to be in a place where we could live our lives, watch some TV, microwave some food," Kaylor said.
Since last Friday, Kaylor and his family have been staying at the hotel. He came back to Irvington Lofts Tuesday night to check on neighbors who decided to stay put.
"I can't blame everybody for their choices. (They've) got to do what's best for them," Kaylor said.
"It's freezing. It feels like a basement," one woman who stayed put told 13News. She didn't want to give her name but said she tried the hotel for a few nights, but left after hearing gunshots outside during one of the nights she was there.
"I didn't feel safe," she said.
Now, she's just trying to tough it out in a cold and dark apartment.
"I just need answers and a clear date of when we'll be on track, as far as power and heat," she said.
Irvington Lofts has been without power since Oct. 22. Apartment management said their electrical panel was damaged when a transformer blew. In a statement to 13News, Mark III Management said they were expecting the parts needed to fix the issue to arrive any day and that residents were being put up in a hotel. Not everyone took that option.
"It's a high crime area, and we pay really good money to live here, so I feel like they can do a little bit better," said Andrea Reno, who also chose not to stay in the hotel. "It's best if we crash at my parents' house."
Now, residents like Reno and Kaylor are waiting for word that the parts to fix the problem have arrived and the work to restore power is happening.
"I hope it all works out, and if it goes through the weekend, they can extend the hotel through the weekend," Kaylor said.
Even when the repairs are made, city code enforcement officers still have to come out to inspect the work. If the repairs pass inspection, AES said it will make getting the power back on at Irvington Lofts a priority.