Flooded Seniors Displaced Until November

Residents of a West Hollywood senior housing complex who were twice forced from their homes due to heavy rains that flooded their building will have to wait until mid-November to move back home, county housing officials said today.

Residents of the 135-unit West Knoll Senior Public Housing Development, 838 W. Knoll Drive, were forced to evacuate Sept. 15 when heavy rains sent water cascading through the under-repair roof. The residents had only recently returned to their homes, following a similar evacuation forced by heavy rain in July.

Officials with the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles said a temporary roof had been installed on the building following July’s rain. The Housing Authority was in the process of installing a new roof on the building with solar panels when the first round of rain deluged the structure.

A contractor was hired to install a temporary roof after July’s rain, but that structure gave way during last week’s storm, forcing residents out again.

In hopes of expediting the repair work, the Housing Authority announced it is scrapping plans for the solar-panel project, and the first phase of a new roof was completed over the weekend. Ultimately, the new roof is expected to have a 20-year-plus life expectancy, according to the authority.

Meanwhile, repair work is also being done on the 88 units and community center room that were damaged by flooding. That work is expected to take eight weeks, after which residents will be permitted to return home.

Residents have been given the option of staying at a hotel or receiving a stipend to stay with relatives. In some cases, residents have been assigned to assisted-living facilities to provide for their specific needs, officials said.

City News Service