CHARLOTTE -- Victims of last week's flood, a number of them residents of the Cavalier Apartments in east Charlotte, spent much of Labor Day trying to get their lives back in order.

Mecklenburg County, which owns Cavalier, asked every person living in the complex to be moved out by the end of the week.

"It's been very challenging," said Brian Jenkinson, who lived on the first floor of the complex and has an autistic son. "It's challenging for him to acclimate to this. He doesn't understand the changes, he doesn't understand why we can't go back in."

Jenkinson is one of a number of residents who are being told they are have no flood insurance even though they said they applied for it in time.

"We're researching the process in which the flood policies were to be processed," said Dave Canaan, director of the county's Storm Water Services, adding he's uncertain if a mistake was made by the county, the insurance company or the policy-holders, or whether a mistake was made at all. "We don't have anything definitive at this point because it's going to take a couple days to get through that."

"It's frustrating," Jenkinson said. "But we'll just take a step forward and take it a step at a time."

The county, which bought the apartments earlier this summer, planned on tearing down the complex next year. Dave Canaan said there's no timetable on what that will happen at this point, but that his focus now is on helping the flood victims.

"We're continuing to provide financial assistance to the residents that were flooded," he said. Every person will receive their security deposit back, along with a $900 moving stipend.

Meanwhile, the news that all residents have to pack up came as a surprise to some second-floor residents. When the flood happened last Wednesday, officials hoped to allow people living on the second floor to return to their homes. Canaan said after crews surveyed the damage, they determined it was not feasible to allow anyone to live at Cavalier anymore.

"I'm going to see if I can salvage whatever I can from my apartment," said Samuel Elliott, a second-floor resident, who was turned to the Red Cross for help like many others.

"Things change a lot when those flood waters go down and here in Mecklenburg County, we've already seen over 105 families," said Jill Quick, the chief program manager for the Red Cross in Charlotte.

The Red Cross will be set up at The Park in East Charlotte until at least Friday to help any flood victim needing assistance.