Residents Of Condemned Units Consider Next Step
Displaced Occupants Look For Temporary Housing
POSTED: 6:27 pm HST October 18, 2006
UPDATED: 6:54 pm HST October 18, 2006
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii -- Big Island officials have condemned 16 homes as too dangerous for habitation after Sunday's earthquake.Teams have completed 160 of the 500 requests received so far for safety evaluations, County Public Works Director Bruce McClure said.Officials said that as they investigate more homes, the number of condemnations is likely to rise.A Big Island condominium complex has the most condemned units.The 60 units of the Paniolo Club Complex in Waikoloa are among the worst hit by the earthquake.About 40 residents from seven buildings were displaced by the quake. The county said it has condemned five units there. Others not officially condemned, are believed too damaged for habitation."This place is unsafe to live in, as a number of the other building are," resident Andy Hayes said.Hayes' bathroom is a good example of the unsafe conditions. There are piles of shattered glass in the tub and cracks in the walls so big you can see daylight through them.The condemned units are on the top floor of a three-story building."Our building has suffered some severe structural damage. We have a staircase that is nonfunctional, and that is part of the problem. With the third story, you have to have two accesses out and we have only one," resident Jennifer Haley said.Condo owners said they are worried about finding money to rebuild."I was pretty shocked as a homeowner to find you need separate earthquake insurance. I thought we had all the coverage we needed here," resident Rebecca Ojeda said.One of the biggest problems is having to continue paying mortgages on their wrecked units while searching for new places to rent, residents said."I am displaced. I have no place to live and that is my main concern right now, is transitional -- finding a place to live," resident David Sasasin said.The occupants said they do not know when they will be able to return.
Copyright 2006 by TheHawaiiChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.






