Families evacuated from Durham public housing to remain in hotels at least another week
Residents evacuated from McDougald Terrace over carbon monoxide concerns are being asked to remain in hotels for at least another week, Durham Housing Authority CEO Anthony Scott said Friday.
During that time officials will continue inspecting the public housing complex on Lawson Street and figure out how to keep those units safe, Scott said.
“Whether it means actual repairs ... (or) replacing, switching (from gas appliances) to electrical, that is what we will be assessing in the next week,” he said.
As of Thursday, 198 of the complex’s 360 units had been inspected and 84 had appliances emitting carbon monoxide, Scott said.
About 270 families — representing 83% of the occupied units at McDougald Terrace before the voluntary evacuation — are now in 12 hotels across Durham County, Scott said.
About 55 residents remain at the public housing complex, Scott said.
CO: ‘Invisible Killer’
The Consumer Product Safety Commission calls carbon monoxide, also known as CO, the “Invisible Killer” because it’s a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas.
When people breathe CO, it replaces oxygen in the blood and can cause headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year an average of 430 people die in the United States from accidental CO poisoning, the CDC says. Poisoning is often linked to faulty, improperly used or incorrectly vented furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fireplaces, and alternative power sources when people try to keep warm during severe weather.
About eight individuals, including five pediatric patients, were found to have elevated carbon monoxide levels from Nov. 20 to Jan. 2. Two babies in McDougald Terrace and one in a nearby boarding house died during that time, but preliminary tests by the state medical examiner’s office were negative for carbon monoxide.
In addition to CO concerns, McDougald Terrace residents have expressed concerns about mold, roach infestations and other issues
On Tuesday the Durham Human Relations Commission created a Public Housing Accountability Committee to see how it can help. The HRC is a group of 17 residents, appointed by the City Council to hear housing discrimination complaints and represent the diversity of the people of Durham.
While the new committee will need time to meet and decide on a plan, Chair John Rooks Jr. told fellow commission members: “If you can go out there and hug somebody, just show compassion. That would mean a lot.”
Failed inspections
Inspection reports from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development support McDougald Terrace residents’ concerns. In 2018 the complex received a score of 34 out of 100, followed by a 31 in 2019.
Scott and others have blamed backlogged repair and maintenance in Durham Housing Authority properties on inadequate federal funding.
City Council members have said the city has granted all of the housing authority’s requests for help.
Since 2015, the city has committed $15.1 million to the housing authority, of which $9.2 million has been spent or is for projects under contract, according to data provided by Karen Lado, an assistant director with the city’s Community Development Department.
The spending includes supporting renovations to the Damar Court and Morreene Road complexes ($500,000), help with the rental assistance program to fully utilize its vouchers ($220,260), support for the development team and pre-development costs ($1.4 million) and the acquisition of Fayette Place ($4.2 million).
About $5.9 million has been committed to help renovate J.J. Henderson Tower and construct 80 additional affordable housing units.
Scott said housing authority officials are reaching out to local, state and federal partners to help fund the evacuations and related costs as well as for repairs to McDougald Terrace.
Shift in donation process
On Saturday donations for residents can be dropped off from 2 to 6 p.m. at McDougald Terrace at 51B Ridgeway Ave.
Next week donations can be dropped off at The Salvation Army, 909 Liberty St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Needed items include nonperishable food, paper plates, plastic utensils, hygiene products, baby food and baby formula. Plastic containers are also needed to help residents store their food properly.
Scott warned donors to be cautious. “There have been several fraudulent GoFundMe accounts that have been put out there,” Scott said.
McDougald Terrace resident council president Ashley Canady has been working with the N.C. Attorney General’s Office to address the fraudulent accounts, Scott said.
The only GoFundMe account approved by Canady is The Good Neighbor Fund. The only other way to give money directly to the effort is through the United Way of the Greater Triangle, which has set up a Durham One fund.
Do not bring donations to hotels, Scott said. It’s easier to manage and coordinate donations at the requested central locations.
Saturday meeting
The Durham Housing Authority will meet with McDougald Terrace residents and others at 11 a.m. Saturday at Burton Elementary School, 1500 Mathison St.
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 6:46 PM.
