Residents who were relocated after a small plane flew into their Richmond, B.C., apartment building on Friday are calling on the government to help them find temporary homes.
After the two-engine airplane belonging to 82-year-old Peter Garrison struck the ninth floor and became lodged next to the elevator shaft, 130 tenants were given 10 minutes to collect belongings and vacate the building.
A spokesperson for the city of Richmond said severe water damage and some smoke damage meant it could be months before they could go home.
"They told us to get what's important, but I mean, everything's important," resident Oleg Meshrin told CTV British Columbia. "With all the chaos, really, you don't know what to grab."
The displaced residents were put up in a Richmond hotel for six nights by the provincial emergency program. But many are upset it isn't longer.
"That's not long enough considering we have to wait for a month or more to move back in," said Gordon Lam.
Deborah Procter, the manager of Richmond's emergency programs, said residents should talk to insurance adjusters or look elsewhere to find a place to live until their apartments are ready.
"We've also suggested to them that their family and friends might be a good alternative for them to stay with for now," she told Â鶹´«Ã½.
However, many could end up having to pay for short-term housing as well as their current mortgages - something residents say would cost too much.
"My sympathies obviously go out to the people who are affected," Richmond MLA Olga Illich told reporters. "I will be talking to the solicitor general and I'll find out what the program covers, what it doesn't cover. We'll be working with the city and we'll be seeing what we can do."
Transportation Safety Board investigators continued searching through thousands of pieces of debris from the building and the plane to determine what happened.
TSB investigators said the aircraft was not equipped with data recorders in the cockpit, which meant there would be no quick answers available.
Garrison died Friday after his plane struck the building shortly after taking off from the Vancouver International Airport.
The Maple Ridge resident was the only person in the plane at the time.
One tenant suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, while another was treated for minor injuries and later released from hospital.
On Sunday, Garrison, who flew with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, was described as a competent and experienced pilot.
"This is an octogenarian for sure. Let's not fool around with the concept of his age. He was an elder statesman, he was an elder pilot. Peter flew a twin-engine aircraft most of his life and he loved the aircraft," said Chris Georgas, a pilot and friend of Garrison.
Garrison's step-daughter Micheline, a student pilot, said he was flawless during a flight they shared last week. The rest of his family said he was in good health and had a sharp mind.
A statement released by the family read, "Peter was a wonderful husband, dedicated father and meticulous pilot."
Garrison bought the Piper Seneca in 1974 and had flown it across the Atlantic Ocean eight times.
In February 2006, his plane hit approach lights and a fence before it stopped short of the runway.
Â鶹´«Ã½ also learned that Garrison was involved in another crash in 1998 in Bellingham, WA, just south of British Columbia.
With reports from CTV British Columbia
