 Thank everyone for coming out this afternoon for this issue of critical importance to the health, life and safety of the people who live in Allen Benedict Court. You all know the unfortunate news of losing two lives here just two nights ago to a gas leak. I'm going to defer to Chiefs Holbrook and Jenkins to get into some of the details as we know them and can share them with you. But based on their work, we've determined that this gas leak is not only significant but consistent throughout this property and it is in their best judgment and our best judgment supporting their decision 100% that this property should be closed. We will be closing this property immediately working with the Housing Authority on relocating the citizens who live here to safe and suitable housing, some that might eventually be permanent but certainly right now temporary housing in which these families can live safe and secure. This is indeed an issue of significant public importance. It is trying on our souls and our hearts. I wanted to make sure that these babies like the one year old that I held here today and some of the seniors who needed their medication and were displaced, that they are able to live the quality life that they deserve. We're going to do every single thing we possibly can. We're already working closely with other public agencies as well as several of our friends in the private sector in the hospitality industry to make sure that we can help folks get settled as soon as possible with as little disruption to their lives as possible. This obviously is an ongoing and developing story. I'm going to defer to Chiefs Holbrook and Chief Jenkins and City Manager as she chooses to participate in. Each of our council people, we've been kept fully aware and apprised of everything. Councilor McDowell was out here late at night and earlier this morning engaging with citizens here and we're going to remain engaged. Please, any questions you have, I'd ask maybe wait until the end and we'll do our best to answer all of them as best as we can at this moment. So Chief Jenkins, Chief Holbrook, please. I'll be brief and just to rehash yesterday, as we all know we responded as part of a medical emergency response, found two unresponsive people that were pronounced deceased. They were unattended so until we can determine otherwise we view that as suspicious. We do not suspect foul play at this point, so our role is limited to that. However, we do have code enforcement that's under our purview as well and code enforcement has been working in tandem with fire officials to methodically go through each one of the units. We're looking for life safety issues and property maintenance issues and we have found a number of issues that we think are inconsistent with the livability expectations we have for our citizens and I'll let Chief Jenkins elaborate on the role of the fire department and what will continue to happen today here. Thank you all for being here. Basically what we're looking at, we are looking at those life safety issues and out of the buns of caution and just because we view it as some type of imminent danger to life that these buildings are being evacuated. As we went through building after building, we discovered once we checked one building, we discovered that we have multiple units out here that had gas leaks from the stove, from the hot water heater, things of that nature. So we're going to be precautious in what we're doing and making sure that the lives of these citizens are good. So the decision was made by Chief Holbrook and myself with support of our city manager to go ahead and vacate these buildings at this time. Basically what we're doing right now, we're still going through checking these buildings just to make sure everything's okay. Once we conclude what we're doing, we're going to actually cut the main gas line to the whole property and we're going to want them to go ahead and get a third party person to come in and check these buildings out to make sure that they are okay. Last night we were out here till we out in the morning. We had about 65 units that we checked last night that we kind of went through. Well let me just back up. We had 65 units that we found levels of either some type of gas or CO in it. So we actually vacated those folks out of there. They put them in a temporary shelter. So we're looking at about 411 residents out here in 26 buildings. Probably about we got 244 units, 235 of them are occupied. So again we've made a very methodical search or inspection of each one of those. And we just found some deficiency that we just can't turn a deaf ear to. So it's all about the safety of these residents and keeping them free from anything that can happen. So that's kind of just a briefing on what we're doing. If you have any questions or something we'd be glad to answer at the end. Absolutely. Now we have several calls other than just call for service for orders and gas. Obviously other call for service as well. But looking back in 2018 we had about six or seven calls for service for order of gas. Some that we were able to mitigate. It may have come from the stove or just from the heater. So we were able to mitigate those. The ones that we can't mitigate what we'll do we'll cut the gas off to the whole apartment complex. So absolutely right. We have been out here before. Well yesterday we were only dealing with one building. And the plan was to come out this morning Chief Holbrook and I had already discussed that to come out this morning and go through all of these buildings to make sure they were safe. But last night I actually received a phone call from a concerned citizen of a committee leader who stated that one particular building that she was in maybe a week or so ago that she did smell gas in it. So when we came out here to check it. That's my calling card. Okay, go ahead. When we came out to check it last night we actually had two hits in that one building in that one apartment. So we made the decision last night to check that whole building. Once we checked the whole building we discovered that we have multiple units out there that actually had some type of leak in it. So after we discovered that I know it was late last night and it's inconvenienced with people. I talked with the city manager and we decided we're just going to go ahead and search all the business last night. So we did that until we're out of the morning and we're out here this morning finishing up. So we actually want to get ahead of it and not wait until the day and that's what we're trying to do last night. Not worried about any near about one thing we want the public to understand. You are safe. Everything is isolated actually on the inside of these structures. So we're not concerned about any surrounding buildings. Obviously some might have issues, certainly call us. But at this time we have no evidence to believe that there is a danger to anybody around this property. Yeah, that would be a question for housing. Let me say thank you all for coming out too. Yes, we did give out notices. We gave out instructions. We set up a command post at the killer's center. And what we have done is starting last night. I was out here last night too because my concern is the safety of the residents too. And I want to do everything that I can to make sure that there's safety. The other thing I want to do is to make sure that the people who live out here that they understand that we're in their best interest and we're going to do everything that we can to make sure that that happens. We have identified hotel rooms for all people. To date we've identified about 40 hotel rooms and we asked them to put it on standby. We're going to move people to suitable units. This is quick as we possibly can. We also told them that we would provide lunch for them. We've provided breakfast for them. We're going to provide dinner for them. We're going to provide the transportation for the people who need transportation and anyone else. Anyone else who wants to go to a hotel room or they don't have a facility to go to we will make sure that everybody is taken care of. It's an unfortunate thing that it happened. But we're going to make sure that whatever we do, that we do it in the best interest of the people that actually live out here. And I think people that live out here understand my position and what it is that I try to do to make sure that their safety is number one concern. And we will continue to keep doing that. What we have done is when people call in with gas leaks or people call in that they smell gas we sent out people to actually check it. Normally what you will find is the level of gas that they smell is not to the level of actually shutting the gas system down. If we find out that there is a problem with the stove or a problem with the water heaters we change those things out. I think most of you know that these units are 80 years old. They were built in 1939. And we've done our best to try to make sure that we keep them up to the standards that we possibly can. Yeah, but you do have people that call in and they call in frequently too. And we want them to call in so that when they call in that we address the problem that is at stake. Do you think this whole thing was a problem waiting to happen because it's like the people we talked with said the same thing. They said there's been issues. A neighbor next to where we found a two dead body said he had a gas leak. He was so powerful that the smell of it was so strong that it almost knocked him back. Well, we have gone going. Don't you think that this was... We have not been notified. Somebody notified us that there is a problem with strong gas and we'll shut it down. Now, our work orders does not dictate what people say. You walk into the apartment. Yeah, you're going to smell some gas that's in there. And it's coming from the stoves that are in there. It's coming from the water heaters that's in there. And we try to make sure that we take care of the problem as quickly as we possibly can. And I think that we do a pretty good job with our people. Now, I agree with the city and I agree with the fire department and the police department that we need to shut it down. We go to every unit. We're going to double check every unit to make sure that there is no problem and if there is a problem that we're going to fix it. And we'll take the lead on that part of it. We do have work orders and you can see the work orders where people have called in. A lot of times people do not call in to our work order desks. But if they call in, gas is something that we take very seriously. Not only in Alameda, they coat, but in all of our facilities. We try to address those problems immediately. In fact, we are mandated to address the problem within 24 hours. And everybody understands that. What do you say to your desk? You mean the housing authorities desk? We have a work order desk, a work order phone desk that you can call in to. Everybody calls in to it and then the work orders are dispatched to the different communities. Well, they do talk to people in Alameda and they coat. Because the work order desk, what happens is, send the work orders over to the particular site where it is in order for the problem to be corrected. I guess what I'm asking is, is there any kind of issue with oversight because it's important to hear the weight desk and you're saying you guys didn't necessarily have all the kind of complaints? Well, we have complaints. There's no question about we have complaints. Not only in this community, but we have complaints in all of our communities. Some of them are legitimate complaints and some of them are not legitimate complaints. But you have to check out all of them because you don't know. And that's what we attempt to try to do as best that we possibly can. Yeah, you can see those documents. We'll make those documents so you can see the work orders that are called in. If you don't call work orders in, we have no way of knowing. I'll have to check the work orders to see the numbers or the dates that you have. I do not have that in front of me and I don't want to make a statement until I get something in front of me to know what you're talking about. What this is, in my opinion, is a temporarily action until we can identify if there are any other problems in the units. Now, every unit that they went into did not have a problem. And I think everybody needs to know that. But they did detect low levels of gas and are low levels of some type of fumes. Some of it could have been sewer fumes. Some of it could have been gas fumes. I know you guys have a bunch of other questions and we're going to defer. You'll have more conversations with Mr. Walker at some point. A couple of points when they make clear. Excuse me. Another chief wants to make clear the importance of reporting gas leaks and potential CO2 issues and never deferring only to what you think you can smell and how you say that. I'm going to say some things. Okay. You know, I think what you've got to understand is when you can smell gas is only because they put an additive in it that you can smell it. When you did them a CO2, you can't smell it. You can't taste it and you can't see it. It's colorless. So you've got to have a meter to go in there so you can detect it. And just to be transparent, we did detect high levels in certain apartments of gas. We did detect high levels. So that's why we really feel the need to go ahead and just evacuate. And the question about how long, as long as it takes to make sure that it is very safe to occupy these apartments again. So once it gets to the point where they're fixed or whatever, the chief now will send our crews back, our teams back in to recheck and to make sure. You know, we're running meters back through them. We're looking at the property maintenance portion of it just to make sure that everything is good. Well, I'm glad yet because we are recommending that they put in a CO2 meter in every apartment. CO2 meter in every apartment so that we are recommending that. Well, no, it's not a policy. Now you have to provide a smoke alarm, but it's nothing about smoke. I mean, CO. It's just, if you use any type, and it's not only for housing, it's for anybody. If you use any type of gas in your home, you need to have a CO monitor in there. Where your gas is going to give off carbon dioxide. They didn't do anything wrong. Now, we're not blaming any residents. They didn't do anything wrong. Yes, they are on the scene immediately. Yes, and we're going to support the housing authority in its relocation of citizens. But I do want to make it clear. It's under the authority of the police chief and the fire chief to give us a determination as to when it is safe for people to occupy this property. And it's their exclusive authority until that is clear. And without any doubt, this property will remain vacant. So make that clear. So the health and safety of the people who live here is a number one priority. We're going to make sure that we work with the housing authority to get people relocated. Everyone's working together on that right now. But I do want to make it clear. This is hopefully a temporary solution, but that is not the case right now. Right now, it's under the authority of these two chiefs that this property be closed until we can say without a shadow beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's safe for residents to live here and be happy to talk to any of you individually. The chief has indicated that whatever public documents are within our, the fire department's domain, he's already produced those so you can have copies of those as immediately as possible. There is not enough affordable housing in the United States of America, in the state of South Carolina, or in this metropolitan area to meet the needs of citizens all across this country. That's why we've been working aggressively to put many more options on the table, either a product produced by the housing authority and they've been aggressive working with the Hope 6 and Choice communities over the years to make some things happen. Products offered through our state housing finance authority, 9% program and 4% program, and we just recently, this past month or two, put out a new product that we believe will help drive more private sector capital into meeting the needs of citizens. But just citizens around the country, not all here in the Metro, who are on the weighing list for some type of public housing or public assisted housing, we're talking about tens of thousands of individuals. Just wanting to be here in this region. So the challenges nationwide are rather epic. And I think a real, not just a serious problem, but I think an Achilles' heel for America. Yes, sir. Can these residents look forward to upgrades or any kind of renovation that might increase because this is an old building and all the infrastructure might need to be built? I'd say this and I'm not going to speak for Mr. Walk in the housing authority. They're a separate agency. We've worked closely with the housing authority on the successful relocation of citizens from Gonzalez Gardens. Years ago, the same at Endley Homes, moving people to high quality, affordable housing throughout the region, both publicly owned and privately owned housing. This property is incredibly old. It may indeed be one of the oldest public housing units in the country, if not the oldest. It is the third oldest in the country. So if there are some systemic issues in play here that cannot be cured, then I'm not sure exactly what the resolution is. I do know that the here and now means that we've got to get a whole lot of people around the table. We've all been talking on the phone today to try and meet the needs of the citizens here and then continue to work together to make sure we provide high quality, mixed income, mixed use housing for people all across this city. The people who live here are the priority right now, and that's what we're going to be working on. Right now, the residents who evacuated last night are at the CISO Tillers Center, just around the corner. I'd ask you to probably grant them some privacy and not go visit them right now. But over the course of today, we're going to be working with the housing authority and trying to successfully relocate people to a number of different places all around the region. So prayerfully, a shelter is not the next step, but some place that might be long-term temporary housing for them while these issues seek to be rectified. Well, they will have some place to stay as long as it's necessary. Well, with that, that's what I'm asking. So if it's something like a hotel room, if it's a hotel room, if it's a long-term care, they will have some place to stay. And they don't have to worry about that. They understand that, too. It's not the first time that we have done this. We did that at Cecilia Sackley when we relocated 400 families. We did the same thing down at Henley Home. We relocated 300 families. It's the same thing over in the Dallas Gardens with 280 families. So this is not something new to us. What is new to us, though, is gas leaks, and we want to make sure that whatever the gas leak is, that we make sure that it is taken care of. The Dallas Gardens was a plan that we just would figure out. Is there anything you're interested in? We're going to have to do a whole lot really fast to get people settled into quality housing. And we're committing our efforts to making sure it's done and done well. Well, I think it's going to have to be a crystal clear case to people, quite frankly, unless a crystal clear case can be made to the chief of police and the chief of the fire department, then we won't encourage people to come back. It's just not going to be an option. So when these folks are convinced they communicate that to the city manager, she'll communicate to the city council and the policy makers, and we'll go from there in discussions with the housing authority. So it's going to have to be a pretty solid case made to us that the actions taken here today need to be changed in some way. I think anytime you lose life, it's something that tugs on all of our hearts. So until I'm convinced otherwise, I do know that our police agencies and our fire agencies have done everything and responded accordingly the way that they should. We'll talk about everyone else at some point. But yeah, I think anytime you lose a life, we've been very clear over the way in which we've dealt with difficult situations, those manmade or those natural disasters that we step up and we protect the life, health and safety of our citizens. That's what we're doing right now within 24 hours of knowing about these gas leagues. We've acted accordingly, and that's where we're going to continue doing things. It's a tough situation and it's always difficult and I think we're almost programmed sometimes to want to point fingers who did what when. This property is old. This property is incredibly old. My opinion is that this property, much like similarly situated properties all across the country are well beyond the useful life and I know that Mr. Walker and the Housing Authority has aggressively pursued federal funding over the years to try and do what they're doing at Gonzales Gardens, what they did at Henley Homes, what they did at City of Saxon, just around the corner. So those things are happening, but I think it's always heart-rending when you have to deal with these situations. The State Gas Regulatory was out here yesterday inspecting the outside of the unit. That was just a regular check. They didn't have anything to do with what happened. They were out here yesterday. So I think the answers are a whole lot more questions to be answered and we're going to work hard to get to the bottom of all of it. Thank you.