Apartment Residents Upset Over City's Refusal To Make For Flood Damage
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IRVING (CBS11) - A week after a water main break flooded Irving residents living in the Newport Apartment are still cleaning up.
"My furniture was damaged real bad. The water was up to here," motions Lecreta Jones to demonstrate how water levels reached her couch cushions.
She paid her rent on the first of the month but has not been able to sleep in her own apartment since the flood.
Many residents like Jones filed claims with the city, hoping to be refunded for material losses. She estimates her damage at $3,000.
Through a letter, TRISTAR Risk Management, the third party group that investigates Irving's liability claims, informed residents that the city was respectfully denying their claims.
In the letter to residents, TRISTAR Risk Management further explained because the water main break was not caused by Irving work crews, the city is not liable for the damage.
Affected residents disagreed with TRISTAR's findings.
"The city of Irving is responsible. That is their tower. We should not have to suffer any loss because we had two million gallons of water flood our homes," said Tamara Kelly.
Her car insurance company will cover the $3,000 of damage to her vehicle. She says renter's insurance will not cover tenants' losses, leaving them to foot steep bills.
She and other tenants are considering hiring legal representation.
"The City of Irving should come and make everyone whole again, as we were before the flood. That's their obligation," Kelly said.
"Tristar is the City of Irving's independent third party administrator that conducts investigations and makes the determinations on claims filed against the city. At this point, we are reviewing Tristar's investigation and conclusions," said Meribeth Sloan, Communications and Media Relations Manager.
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