Thirteen families are being moved out of their government housing after Hurricane Gonzalo ripped the roof from their apartment block.

A large chunk of the roof at Prince Alfred Terrace in Dockyard was destroyed, along with smaller sections.

The apartments on the top floor of the two-storey building suffered flooding, with those on the lower floors affected by water coming in from upstairs and leaks from broken windows.

The landlord, the West End Development Corporation (Wedco), confirmed yesterday that all tenants would be relocated so the roof could be replaced.

Wedco general manager Andrew Dias said that all of the ageing building would be extensively renovated, including the interior, with the work expected to cost about $1 million.

One family have been moved out so far and another are about to do the same, with Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) stepping in to provide them with apartments.

Temporary homes have yet to be found for the other 11, with Mr Dias saying that the organisation is “working very hard” to assist those in need, but adding that there is a lack of available housing.

“Wedco is checking our inventory and other options within the Government to try and accommodate everyone,” he added.

Some residents told The Royal Gazette that they had holes in the ceilings in multiple rooms, as well as broken windows.

One mother of two, who asked not to be named, said that her three-bedroom upper apartment had numerous ceiling holes and that one of her windows had blown in during Tropical Storm Fay.

“The night of the hurricane, I thought our lives were gone,” she said.

“The gutters were battering so much, I thought the roof was going to come in. We all sat snuggled in the hallway. The floors were so wet, I thought they were going to come in.”

The tenant said that her three-bedroom home had suffered flooding, which had seeped downstairs to her neighbour’s apartment.

“We could hear stuff breaking up in the ceiling,” another resident said. “There was so much pressure. The wind almost broke a bedroom door off.”

Another tenant, who also wished to remain anonymous, complained about broken windows.

Mr Dias said Wedco met with residents on Tuesday night to discuss the corporation’s intentions.

“We had a very good attendance and relayed our plan of action,” he said. “It was a very cordial meeting and busy. There were no concerns that were not raised and addressed.”

He added: “We will be looking to make a temporary patch on the roof and will be looking to relocate tenants.

“The building is probably going to take eight, nine, ten months to do all of the roof and everything else.

“No one can stay there; it will be a complete repair and replacement of the roof.”

Mr Dias said the tenants at the meeting seemed “very pleased with what we presented; no one said they weren’t”.

He said: “It’s a very, very old building and old conditions that we must address. It will be put in a tenantable condition.

“We’re trying to do the right thing for people as soon as possible. We’ll be meeting with all the tenants individually.

“We’re committed to getting all of the issues addressed so it’s fully tenantable — new cabinets, if necessary, doors and windows, maybe electrical issues.

“An internal assessment is being done and we’re doing everything in our power. We want it to be in a good condition and a good place for people to rent.

“We’ve made a commitment to the tenants and will work together.”

Mr Dias said the work would cost “in the region of a million or more” to replace the roof, gutters, interior ceilings and then to tackle any interior repairs and upgrades.

Dockyard itself is recovering well from the hurricane, Wedco said, with the infrastructure back up to date last week.

Boats were being moved back to the marina and roads were cleared, with the Clocktower Mall reopened for business after suffering roof damage.