Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Compensation for explosion in 20 de noviembre neighborhood slow in coming

People move in before repairs done, rain does more damage

In the heavy rainfalls, water has worked its way through the superficial repairs the company did. - Image by Crisstian Villicana
In the heavy rainfalls, water has worked its way through the superficial repairs the company did.

On April 18 this year an explosion took place in the 20 de Noviembre neighborhood, and a condo was destroyed due to a domestic gas accumulation. One people were wounded. Building shards thrown all over the surrounding properties ended up affecting the closest neighbors, and, since then, none of the damages have been paid for by the condo’s owners.

Neighbors like Silvia (not her real name), said that her house looked like a warzone. “I wasn’t here but I was speaking by phone with my partner when out of the blue I heard the explosion and then just silence followed by screams. At the moment I felt horrible because did not know what was happening.”

Her partner was there. She explained that after the blasting she just reacted by taking their cats with her outside the house, which was unrecognizable.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“The next day I had to go to the doctor using my job’s health care. I got an acoustic trauma, the doctor said. Since that day I have had headaches and dizziness all the time. Whether I move my head quickly and then get back to my head’s normal passion, I get dizzy.”

Silvia and her partner agreed not to add the psychological and physical side effects to the construction company reparations they should have covered. The only thing they’re asking now is to get their car repaired – $1,600 USD. Silvia pointed out that because their car is out of use, they have had issues with their transportation to work, which has caused hard times for them within their jobs.

A mechanic workshop next to the condos is still waiting for damages to be paid for. Alejandro Epifanio, who’s in charge of this workshop, stressed that three of their costumer’s cars got serious damages, and the official in charge of assessing the compensation has promised they would pay them off later, but at the moment they must pay from their own pockets.

“We can’t just tell our customers that their cars won't be ready for four years while everything is solved. We paid 15 thousand pesos ($750 USD) I those three vehicles, but we got a lawsuit from the owner of a fourth car. We did arrange an agreement with them, but we are still waiting for it,” Alejandro emphasized. “These things should be sorted out by now, I don’t know what the Prosecutor’s Office is doing about it. Seems for me that is just a matter of time before this to happen again somewhere else."

Silvia expressed her worry about how things are working in Tijuana regarding condo constructions in neighborhoods like hers. “First of all, that building was not for the national market, in fact, there was a Korean-American citizen who owned it, and they are buying them to turn them into Airbnb. Furthermore, people started to move in while the construction was not finished entirely, but because they’re owned by private citizens I think they can get permissions right away when they want it.”

For now, neighbors remain uncertain about when their damages will be refunded, and they don’t see any payoffs coming soon. According to them, in the recent heavy rainfalls, water has worked its way through the superficial repairs the company did, so damages can get worse and increase the repair bill that they think would end up paying from their pockets.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
Next Article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
In the heavy rainfalls, water has worked its way through the superficial repairs the company did. - Image by Crisstian Villicana
In the heavy rainfalls, water has worked its way through the superficial repairs the company did.

On April 18 this year an explosion took place in the 20 de Noviembre neighborhood, and a condo was destroyed due to a domestic gas accumulation. One people were wounded. Building shards thrown all over the surrounding properties ended up affecting the closest neighbors, and, since then, none of the damages have been paid for by the condo’s owners.

Neighbors like Silvia (not her real name), said that her house looked like a warzone. “I wasn’t here but I was speaking by phone with my partner when out of the blue I heard the explosion and then just silence followed by screams. At the moment I felt horrible because did not know what was happening.”

Her partner was there. She explained that after the blasting she just reacted by taking their cats with her outside the house, which was unrecognizable.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“The next day I had to go to the doctor using my job’s health care. I got an acoustic trauma, the doctor said. Since that day I have had headaches and dizziness all the time. Whether I move my head quickly and then get back to my head’s normal passion, I get dizzy.”

Silvia and her partner agreed not to add the psychological and physical side effects to the construction company reparations they should have covered. The only thing they’re asking now is to get their car repaired – $1,600 USD. Silvia pointed out that because their car is out of use, they have had issues with their transportation to work, which has caused hard times for them within their jobs.

A mechanic workshop next to the condos is still waiting for damages to be paid for. Alejandro Epifanio, who’s in charge of this workshop, stressed that three of their costumer’s cars got serious damages, and the official in charge of assessing the compensation has promised they would pay them off later, but at the moment they must pay from their own pockets.

“We can’t just tell our customers that their cars won't be ready for four years while everything is solved. We paid 15 thousand pesos ($750 USD) I those three vehicles, but we got a lawsuit from the owner of a fourth car. We did arrange an agreement with them, but we are still waiting for it,” Alejandro emphasized. “These things should be sorted out by now, I don’t know what the Prosecutor’s Office is doing about it. Seems for me that is just a matter of time before this to happen again somewhere else."

Silvia expressed her worry about how things are working in Tijuana regarding condo constructions in neighborhoods like hers. “First of all, that building was not for the national market, in fact, there was a Korean-American citizen who owned it, and they are buying them to turn them into Airbnb. Furthermore, people started to move in while the construction was not finished entirely, but because they’re owned by private citizens I think they can get permissions right away when they want it.”

For now, neighbors remain uncertain about when their damages will be refunded, and they don’t see any payoffs coming soon. According to them, in the recent heavy rainfalls, water has worked its way through the superficial repairs the company did, so damages can get worse and increase the repair bill that they think would end up paying from their pockets.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Downtown thrift shop offers three bands in one show

Come nightfall, Humble Heart hosts The Beat
Next Article

Raging Cider & Mead celebrates nine years

Company wants to bring America back to its apple-tree roots
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader