COLUMBIA, S.C. — (WLTX) -- Six weeks ago, two men died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the Allen Benedict Court apartments. The following day, 411 residents were displaced. While many are still searching for permanent housing, others found some luck.
"It's like traumatizing like being forced out of your environment," LaLisa General said.
LaLisa General and her eight-month-old daughter Queen were forced to evacuate their home at Allen Benedict Court following the deadly gas leak.
"For me it was uncomfortable," General said.
General lived there less than a year.
"Once I got out there things that were wrong like mold and roach infestation, spiders just different things," General said.
While leaving the apartment had its share of silver linings, she said the moving process these last six weeks took a toll on her family.
"It was exhausting, it was tiring if you don't have a stable place to stay I don't feel like your mentally stable," General said.
And after living in a hotel for weeks with her baby she felt lost.
"Trying to find a place in that little bit of time while staying there was frustrating, it was very painful," General said. "I couldn't think straight, period. I have a daughter that is dependent on me and here I am lost as well."
On top of waking up in a temporary home, General struggled with time off from work. Looking for a new place, she says, was a job in itself.
"It was complicated going in there to have to talk to them about what I'm dealing with and hoping that they understand that I wouldn't be in for three and a half weeks," General said. "I'm trying to find a place to stay, it was complicated, it was embarrassing, it was stressful."
Now, nearly six weeks later General said she can breathe again.
"There's no mold happening, it's more comfortable, it's more peaceful, it's more quiet, my daughters happy," General said. "I feel better with people coming over because there ain't nothing crawling. It's better, I'm happy it's getting back to normal."
Life is a bit easier now inside their new home, and while the future is unpredictable General said one thing's certain.
"I think that everybody goes through stuff for a reason," General said.
She hopes to give back to the community in return once she gets back on her feet.
OUR PROBE:
In our investigation, we've uncovered previous maintenance problems in the units at Allen Benedict Court, that showed there were concerns about the units well before January 17th. We have a mountain of documents related to the case, as well as interviews with residents, and we continue to present new information each day.
You can see more into our probe below:
RELATED: DEEP DIVE: Work orders highlight potentially life-threatening problems at Allen Benedict Court
RELATED: 'Maybe they care, maybe they don't' Columbia Housing resident speaks out about maintenance issues
RELATED: EMS radio recordings describe moments after man was found in his apartment at Allen Benedict Court
RELATED: Allen Benedict Court work orders show history of maintenance issues at deceased resident's apartment
LAWSUITS:
There have also been multiple lawsuits filed in connection to the case. You can see our coverage of those below.
RELATED: Lawsuit alleges Allen Benedict Court Resident suffered from 'gas poisoning' well before evacuations