TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Dilapidated buildings in Troy have alarmed neighbors and renewed calls for the city to crack down on property owners who let buildings become hazards. Three families were displaced after a neighboring building collapsed and others fear the same could happen to them.
A vacant building collapsed on Friday, on Fourth Street in Troy and eight people who lived in the neighboring building were displaced.
Mary Alice Molgard is a spokesperson for the American Red Cross and said they responded to assist the families.
“We had requests from one of the families for assistance and we got there as soon as we were able to get personnel on the scene,” said Molgard.
She said they helped with financial assistance to the families and provided “comfort kits” that contain basic needs, like blankets and hygiene products.
“You know this is often the worst day of their lives when something like this happens. A fire, a flood, something terrible occurs. They are afraid, they are unsure of what they need to do,” said Molgard.
About a half mile away, resident Paul Palmer is afraid he could be reaching out to the Red Cross next, if the same happens to him.
He lives on Lincoln Avenue and code enforcement has already evacuated his neighbor’s home, where there’s visible damage to the wall closest to Palmer’s home.
“If that building collapses, we are finished. It’s a hill. The wall is gone. There’s nothing holding that building up. The foundation is screwed up,” said Palmer.
He said his landlord has not done anything about it and he wants the city to act fast.
“I don’t want to wait until the middle of the night and that building collapses because that’s what’s going to happen,” said a teary-eyed Palmer.
A spokesperson for Troy says they can’t comment on the Lincoln Avenue property but did note that even if it looks like there’s no work being done that doesn’t mean they’re not working on it.
In a statement Mayor Patrick Madden said he is, “concerned about the irresponsible landowners who allow properties to get into this condition, creating real hazards in our neighborhoods.” Madden said residents should report unsafe structures to the city’s bureau of code enforcement.
