A hundred residents evacuated from a 32-storey tower that threatens to collapse in Épinay-sur-Seine – Franceinfo

At the foot of the Obélisque tower in Épinay-sur-Seine and its 32 floors, it is effervescence and anger Wednesday, November 10. “My 89 year old father lives on the fourth floor, tells, exhausted, a sexagenarian came to look for the last things. “He’s at my house, he’s depressed, he had two heart problems. He was told ‘Go away’.” The man is one of the hundred inhabitants of the south facade of the building who have until the same evening to leave their accommodation. They heard the news a week ago.

This evacuation is part of the of a prefectural decree which requires the total evacuation of the skyscraper of 162 housing units by December 8. 500 inhabitants are concerned in all after another decree which prohibited access to the balconies of the south facade because of the risk of collapse related to the dilapidated building.

“Overnight you feel free. It’s filthy!”

Mohamed, son of tenants

to franceinfo

Mohamed goes to the family apartment on the 23rd floor. “My mom has been a tenant here with my dad for 16 years”, explains his sister. The boxes pile up at the front door. “We received a letter last week, saying that we had to leave on December 8. And on Saturday morning, another letter was distributed to us telling us: finally we must leave the premises on Wednesday November 10, otherwise they will seal the apartment and the police will deny us access “, continues the young woman.

Scandalous for Mohamed, who does not understand why he did not “only four days to prepare a move”. “For the little ones who go to school, it’s not easy to change homes overnight. We understand that it’s dangerous, but why didn’t you do it before?”, deplores the man who plans to file a complaint and hire a lawyer. “We have always paid our rent, we have never been late and we are not heard.”

Ten stories lower, the same dismay. On the balcony, the object of the problem, “it is very rusty at the level of the stiffeners”, shows a resident. She admits that she no longer sleeps at night and says to herself “outdated”.

“I intended to stay there until the end of my life.”

Robert, 80 years old, inhabitant of the building

to franceinfo

On the 9th floor, Robert has lived in this apartment for 48 years. He once again admires the view of the Sacré-Coeur, the Administrative Tribunal of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. “I intended to stay there until the end of my life because I’m 80, I have cancer, I have heart problems and then I have a herniated disc”, says the retiree.

Jacques Witkowski, prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis, says he understands the emotion of the residents but it is a case of force majeure according to him. “I have in my hands, like the mayor who has public responsibility, a report of judicial experts which follows three expertises, certainly not judicial but, which imposes on us a timetable of action which is extremely short. A risk. that this expert considers extremely imminent and extremely strong “, he explains.

The expertise is contested by the town hall of Epinay which opposes this evacuation but did not wish to react.