No timetable set for displaced River Towers residents to return

Workers continued stabilizing damaged columns at the River Towers building that suffered a partial collapse on Sunday, but there is still no timetable for when displaced residents can move back into their units.

A message to residents posted on the building’s website this morning said more work needed to be done before a timetable for return could be announced.

“The next steps will be to determine the cause of the problem,” the message said. “Estimates for the time displaced residents will be out of the building cannot be made until the problem has been determined.”

Gas remains turned off for the entire building, and the county will determine when it is safe enough to turn back on, the message said. The decision to turn the gas back on is separate from the decision to allow residents to return, according to the message.

River Towers has three buildings, with the collapse occurring Sunday afternoon in the building at 6631 Wakefield Drive. The two other buildings are also being inspected, and the main entrance to the 6621 building is also closed so that workers can address issues with those columns as well.

John Andrews, 84, has lived in River Towers for a year and a half. He resides on the fourth floor of the wing that collapsed, and has only been permitted to return to his room for 15-minute intervals to retrieve medications and some belongings.

Andrews said he’s heard nothing about when he might be allowed to move back in.

“Nobody’s been able to figure it out,” Andrews said, who described Sunday’s collapse as “a little bump.”

“I thought it was an earthquake,” Andrews said.

Next steps

County officials, a structural engineer, a contractor and building management will meet Wednesday morning to discuss that status of work, according to Fairfax County Building Official Brian Foley.

Foley said the county contacted River Towers management Tuesday with their benchmarks for what needs to be done to make the affected wing of the building habitable again, and for ultimately remedying the the problem.

“We issued a notice to [River Towers] as to what our expectations are,” Foley said.

Foley said the work currently being performed on the columns in front of the main entrance to the building is temporary shoring work, which is crucial to stabilizing the building so that residents can move back in. Until that shoring work is finished, nobody will return to the 32 affected units.

“That wing of the building is unsound and not fit for habitation at this time,” Foley said.

A call to a representative for Nesbitt Realty, who manages River Towers, was not returned Wednesday.

Assistance for the displaced

The Red Cross arrived at River Towers on Sunday and continues to offer help to the displaced residents.

They have met in-person with 26 of the 32 families, according to Paul Carden, regional disaster coordinator for the Red Cross. Carden said that so far they have not had to find housing for anybody. They have provided cash assistance to some of those displaced, provided more than 300 meals to residents, and remain on standby if residents need more assistance, Carden said.