October 30, 2017 - 2:03 PM
HOUSTON - A judge has blocked Houston's public housing authority from evicting residents of a senior-living apartment complex that was damaged by heavy rains following Hurricane Harvey.
Residents filed a complaint after the Houston Housing Authority issued 5-day eviction notices to more than 100 residents because of flood damage in the building's basement and first floor. An authority official said the building's electrical and fire safety systems were damaged and a fire could start at any time.
Late Friday, Harris County District Court Judge Daryl L. Moore sided with residents. The judge said the building wasn't largely unusable or unlivable, and until the agency could prove otherwise, ordered the agency not to terminate residents' leases.
Moore also set a 45-day deadline for the agency to conduct repairs and have the property re-inspected.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017