Round Rock residents told to vacate due to damage from winter storm

Dozens of residents at an affordable housing complex in Round Rock are scrambling to find a new place to live after management sent letters over the holiday weekend to tell folks to move out by April 8th due to damages.

The management of the Townhomes at Double Creek told FOX 7 Austin that during the winter storms some buildings received excessive damage due to pipes breaking. Until repairs are made, they’re calling some of these buildings unusable.

"Just one of those things where it’s like what do I do now," said one of the residents Ebonee Rogers, who spent Monday loading up her stuff, overwhelmed by the news. She was still trying to find a new place to live. "I’m having to juggle school, work, and children plus finding somewhere else to live. It’s a lot."

According to the management, Rogers’ building, along with others, is unusable following the winter storms in February. Pipes broke, causing a lot of damage, most of which was around the kitchen area.

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Following the storms, the impacted residents were given a hotel to stay at while they worked on repairs. However, management said they’re still in talks with insurance and have not been paid by them yet, so repairs are on hold. With insurance no longer covering the cost of the hotels, they told residents to move out.

Rogers said she got her notice right before the holiday weekend. "During Easter weekend, it’s kind of hard, it’s tough trying to move 5 kids and myself to a brand new place," said Rogers.

Rogers said she understands the situation but wishes there was more time before she had to move out, as finding affordable housing for her and her 5 kids is difficult without having to move far away. "There are no other apartments in the area that have a four-bedroom apartment, let alone a three-bedroom apartment that we can go and stay, everything saying that they’re booked until May 3 or June."

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Rogers said the last thing she wants to do is have her kids move schools in the middle of a semester.

Management said if residents are struggling with finding a place to store their stuff, they would help accommodate them during this time. They’ve also offered tools to help residents find new places to live.