LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — As Louisville remains under an extreme heat warning, residents at a West End public housing complex said they've been stuck dealing with dangerously hot temperatures in their apartments because of ongoing air conditioning problems.

Families living at Louisville Metro Housing Authority apartments on Magazine Street said inconsistent air conditioning has been an on again off again issue for years, leaving families frustrated, and, at times, scared for their health.

When talking with residents about the most recent air conditioning outage, some residents said they have been without working air conditioning for two months.

Annette Rollins said her daughter and her 4-year-old great grandson live in an upstairs unit at the complex.

Even with windows sealed and two portable air units running, Rollins said it was still severely hot. Early Wednesday afternoon, the thermostat in the apartment read 79 degrees. Later that day, Rollins said it increased to 84 degrees.

"It’s not fair, it’s not fair at all," Rollins said. "Please help me. Help me help my daughter."

Rollins said last year, her 4-year-old great grandson spent four days in hospital with heat exhaustion and nearly died.

Her 11-year-old great grandson was visiting her daughter this summer, but they had to cut his trip short because of how hot it has been in the apartment. 

She said the 11-year-old recently suffered six seizures back-to-back, which doctors told the family were triggered by the heat.

Neighbor Shawntay Young, a nurse, said she witnessed the medical emergency and felt helpless. 

"I’m watching a baby just convulse in my arms and he’s sweating, and there’s nothing I can do to help," Young said.

Shameka Mitchem lives downstairs with her three children. She's also pregnant. The temperature inside her apartment Wednesday was 75 degrees.

Mitchem said she's been taking cold showers and taking frequent trips to her car to run the car's AC. She also said she has been giving her kids popsicles and ice cream to help them stay cool during the day.

Young claims the air conditioning issues aren't only issues residents have been dealing with. She said mold has been growing along her baseboards, and rodents have also plagued the complex.

Rats frequently run through the building, Young said. She has set traps after seeing rodents run from her bathroom to her laundry room, and said other tenants have reported finding dead mice outside their apartments.

According to Young, residents often feel ignored when they report problems.

"They will ignore us until we get irate,' Young said. "Then it's, 'We can put a notice on your door,' or, 'If you keep talking like that, we’ll evict you.' How can you evict someone who just wants their things fixed?"

Both Young and Rollins said maintenance crews have returned repeatedly over the years, but the problems, especially with the air conditioning, never seem to stay fixed.

In response to the complaints, LMHA said its maintenance staff responds to work orders as they are received, "prioritizing urgent needs to help ensure residents have safe and functional homes."

"They treat us like we're the bottom of the barrel," Young said.

In a statement, LMHA said it was aware of the air conditioning issues at the property and that maintenance crews had been "working hard" to resolve them.

At 1:44 p.m. Wednesday, LMHA said that the air conditioning had been fixed. But even after that update, the temperature in Rollin's daughter's apartment was still climbing.

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