Myrtle Beach motel resident had minutes to leave after roof collapse. Motel had no permit

Christina Somerlott was cleaning around 9:30 a.m. Thursday when she heard a loud sound.

The Summer Wind Inn & Suites motel roof collapsed and landed in front of her first-floor door.

Sommerlott had lived at the motel with her 8-year-old child since September 2023, she said.

At first, Somerlott said she didn’t know what had happened but was told she had five minutes to gather her things and leave, not enough time to save her groceries.

“They first cut the power (and) didn’t even tell nobody,” Somerlott said.

Somerlott, who was packing her things into her car after the roof collapse, said she had a place to stay for a night but would have to apply for section eight housing.

The motel, which had yellow police tape blocking it off, had been in disrepair before the roof collapsed, Somerlott said. She claimed that black mold was prevalent throughout her unit, which she said gave her pneumonia, and that the bathroom had caved in.

A phone number for the motel appeared to be disconnected.

Myrtle Beach Fire Battalion Chief Christian Sliker said crews were dispatched to Summer Wind Inn & Suites, 1904 S. Ocean Blvd., around 10:40 a.m.

Summer Wind Inn & Suites was evacuated and the structure was deemed unsafe, Sliker said. It is unknown how many people were in the hotel at the time. The hotel did not have an active business permit when the roof collapsed, according to Mark Kruea, city of Myrtle Beach spokesman.

It is unclear why the motel was still allowing people to stay there.

Somerlott added that the motel was scheduled to fix its roof this week. A large dumpster full of debris sat in the parking lot next to the Summer Wind Inn & Suites.

“This is the result,” she said. “And now you got people that are homeless.”