On July 30, thousands of gallons of water rushed into homes in a Northwest Houston neighborhood.
The water was so powerful, knocking over fences, moving sheds yards away and sending debris that busted windows.
The water even pushed into Janet and Michael Steiner and Kevin Jennings’s homes.
The destructive water flowed from an explosion of the Reid Road Municipal Utility District 1 water tank.
Two months later, the water is gone, but the damage remains.
Rooms were gutted and are no longer functional. The kitchen, where Janet used to cook meals for her family gatherings, no longer has countertops, walls, or even an operating stove.
In Kevin’s home, his elderly mother’s handicap-accessible room was empty after the water had damaged everything.
The other battle the homeowners are fighting is a financial one.
“Our insurance company let us know three to four days that they had nothing to do with it and that it was on the water district,” said Kevin Jennings.
That initial insurance claim was denied because it was considered flooding, which was not on their policy. On Friday, the Jennings and Seiners say their insurance is working to help them out, but they are consciously optimistic.
For Reid Road Municipal Utility District 1, the homeowners’ attorney sent a letter on Oct. 2, stating that they rejected their claim, because the utility district is protected by “governmental immunity from claims for property damage.”
KPRC 2 has contacted Reid Road Municipal Utility District inquiring about why the failure and explosion happened, but their counsel declined to comment at this time.
KPRC 2 Is now in the process of requesting records for inspection and maintenance logs on the water tank.