City Orders 200 Elderly Residents To Vacate Apartment Building

HOUSTON, TX — About 200 low income elderly and disabled residents are being forced to leave their homes, after the first floor of their highrise apartment building endured flood damage during Hurricane Harvey.

Residents at the senior living apartment complex on 2100 Memorial Drive were told on Monday they have to be out of their homes by Saturday. (Want to get daily news updates and news of other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)

The building, which is in the 100 year floodplain, is managed by the Houston Housing Authority and has flooded at least three time in recent years, the Houston Chronicle reported.

City officials said the move is necessary because of the flooding, and personnel need to check plumbing and electrical systems, a well as check for the spread of mold.

Residents who have nowhere else to go, went to Houston City Council on Tuesday to express their anger and frustration, as well as their fears that they will not be allowed to return, and that the building will be demolished.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told residents that if the building was deemed safe, they would be allowed to return.

Until then, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working to place those displaced residents and has offered to cover their moving expenses, KPRC reported.

Image: Associated Press/Areas of downtown Houston are underwater after torrential from Hurricane Harvey.

Send news tips to bryan.kirk@patch.com