2 Brooklyn Apartment Buildings Evacuated Over Structural Concerns
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – People living in two Brooklyn apartment buildings made a shocking discovery Tuesday morning – their buildings are leaning.
Both 68 and 70 Clermont Ave. in the Fort Greene neighborhood were evacuated, forcing families out of their homes and into the freezing cold.
The Department of Buildings determined the buildings are unsafe to occupy.
"When I come inside the yard, I look up and I see the building give way," tenant Terrence Lawrence told CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas.
Lawrence said that building – 68 Clermont Ave. – has been slowly deteriorating. He said it's so bad, he decided to sleep in his car Monday night.
A gap could be seen between the window frame and the brick, and cracks appeared under other windows on both of the buildings.
"You remember when you watch Titanic and the ship was going up and you see it going like this? That's what inside the house is like," he said.
Lawrence said he called 311 Tuesday morning after no action by the landlord. The FDNY ordered tenants out as the DOB called in engineers to assess the damage.
The landlord told Cline-Thomas renovations were done last summer and more work is scheduled this year. The DOB said while it's possible work may have been done, the department has no record of major renovations that would require a permit.
"When I walked through, closer to the wall I see the all cracks. When I go in the bathroom, the tile coming off the wall, the thing in the kitchen, the cupboard, is coming off the wall, you know what I mean," said Lawrence.
It's estimated 13 people, including children, were displaced. The Red Cross said it's helping three families.
The battalion chief said the buildings were built in 2002.
