Costs mount as families evacuated in Durham CO emergency face 3rd week in hotels
The Durham Housing Authority will keep evacuated McDougald Terrace residents in hotels at least another week at an estimated cost of nearly $1.5 million, officials said.
The authority moved about 270 families to a dozen area hotels starting Jan. 3, after inspections showed dangerous levels of carbon monoxide tied to aging gas appliances, including some original stoves at the 1950s-era complex on Lawson Street.
At least eight people, including five children, were treated for CO exposure, including a 16-day-old baby, the Durham Emergency Management Services has said.
DHA spent $485,000 to house and provide transportation and other services to the displaced tenants during their first week in hotels, and CEO Anthony Scott said Thursday that each additional week will cost about the same. The money comes from a $7 million capital fund meant for future renovations of the agency’s more than dozen public housing properties.
“You’re talking about our entire portfolio,” Scott said. “So it’s not a lot of money.”
The authority is still figuring out how to handle the repairs. Renovating McDougald Terrace, which has 360 units, to use electricity instead of gas is being considered, he said, but the units are not equipped to switch to only electric power.
Scott also said the authority has completed inspections at its Hoover Road property and has begun inspections at Oxford Manor on Keystone Place.
DHA found 21 stoves emitting carbon monoxide and six gas leaks at Hoover Road, which has 54 units. Contractors were sent to replace the faulty appliances and the leaks have been repaired, Scott said.
In a 2019 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development inspection of 18 Hoover Road units, the property got a failing score of 30 out of 100
The inspection found:
▪ 7 missing, damaged or inoperable ranges/stoves
▪ 2 misaligned chimney/ventilation systems
▪ 8 missing/inoperable smoke detectors
At Oxford Manor, DHA has inspected 58 out of 172 units so far and found 23 issues, primarily faulty stoves. The property got a 36 on its 2019 HUD inspection.
When asked during Thursday’s press briefing about inspection reports from recent years showing problems related to carbon monoxide leaks at McDougald Terrace, Scott said DHA repaired all issues listed in those reports and provided evidence to HUD that the repairs had been made.
DHA has reached out to local, state and federal agencies for help addressing the current emergency and is waiting to see how much can be provided.
While Durham Public Schools will be closed Monday-Wednesday, Scott said the YMCA, Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Club will be picking up school-age children from the hotels to “stretch their legs for a few days.”
The Durham bookmobile will also be making stops at hotels beginning Saturday.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Costs mount as families evacuated in Durham CO emergency face 3rd week in hotels."
