AUSTIN, Texas – College students at a West Campus apartment complex say they are without power, water and air-conditioning and are getting no answers, all while trying to move in for their fall semester.
“I just climbed up 23 flights of stairs because the elevators were down, I had no running water, and I went in my room to a sweet surprise of 82 degrees right now,” said resident Grace Pohl.
On Saturday morning, students say they woke up to high temperatures and were unable to use the bathrooms or elevators at the Rise at West Campus near the University of Texas at Austin.
“My mom and I have been calling, and they just don’t answer. I heard that the managers aren’t here, but they do have a college student working here today, but we don’t have anybody, so tonight I think I have to stay at a hotel,” said Pohl.
“I got an email saying the power was out, our elevators aren’t working. I found out like an hour later after reading that email that the water wasn’t working,” said resident Zarina Ards.
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Ards says she lives on the 17th floor and has electricity but no air-conditioning.
“I am able to use my plug-in fan to circulate air, but other than that, our A/C is broken as well, so it is getting hotter and hotter as the day goes on,” said Ards.
Pohl says she has been dealing with the 80-degree temperatures in her 23rd floor apartment for weeks.
“I haven’t had A/C for about 10 to 12 weeks all summer. I didn’t have AC, my apartment would be 80 degrees, 82 degrees, and they put portables in, and I might have A/C for one day,” said Pohl.
This weekend, students are moving into the building preparing to go back to school.
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“When we were coming down the stairwell to get down, we saw a big box in the middle of the stairwell, and we were assuming they were pushing the box up the stairwell with their stuff in it,” said Ards.
In a statement to FOX 7 Austin, Rise at West Campus said in part:
“We experienced an issue earlier today with the air conditioning due to a power outage at our West Campus property in Austin. The team is working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue with maintenance onsite all day.”
“I would just like to be out of my lease and find a place where I have A/C, electricity, water and I don’t have to climb up 23 flights of stairs,” said Pohl.
According to the apartment complex, alternative accommodations are being offered while the issue is being fixed.
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