City designates 60 houses as ‘unsafe’
About 2,000 total structures were impacted by the July 19 tornado, and some property owners are now finding small, red posters reading “Dangerous building — do not occupy” on house entrances.
Those posters have been placed on about 60 buildings deemed by emergency management officials as having “major damage” or as “destroyed” in the storm. They were placed there by city officials after buildings were assessed as unsafe by engineers.
“It’s basically an 8.5 x 11-inch sticker that says that the house has been determined to be unsafe,” said city housing and community development director Michelle Sponheimer of the posters.
She said a poster placed on a house does not mean the residents are being evicted, but acts as a warning that the structure is unsound and poses a risk. Owners are able to decide for themselves if they want to rebuild the structure to a safe level or have it demolished, Sponheimer said.
“We certainly want people to know there’s a risk and a danger — we highly recommend that (residents) do find alternate housing, because we don’t want to see anyone injured,” she said.
Sponheimer said Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) officials have been working with residents of buildings that have been placarded to find alternate housing.
“We recognize that that’s a very scary thing for a family to have to go though if they’re still staying,” she said. “We’re not trying to force a whole lot of action immediately … but we do have certain procedures we have to go by and follow.”
Sponheimer said the city may eventually have to demolish abandoned properties deemed unsafe. She said those properties with “major damage” or “destroyed” status may pose a risk to public safety, meaning the city would have to demolish some structures if the owners do not rebuild or demolish the buildings themselves.
Sponheimer said the city may seek help from outside sources, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with funding such demolitions if they are necessary in the future.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty yet as to what that will look like,” she said.
It may also be a time of uncertainty for some residents with the small, red placards placed on their building entrance. Sponheimer encouraged people with questions about the posters or building status to call or stop by the housing and community development office.
“If they got (a poster) and they’re not sure what to do, then we want them to call us,” she said. “No communication is not helpful for the situation.”
The Marshalltown Housing and Community Development office, 36 N. Center St., can be reached by phone at 641-754-5756.
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Contact Adam Sodders at
(641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com