{"id":9158,"date":"2023-02-27T20:49:29","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T20:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=9158"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:59:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:59:27","slug":"despite-progress-questions-remain-about-blackout-that-left-seniors-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/27\/despite-progress-questions-remain-about-blackout-that-left-seniors-at-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite progress, questions remain about blackout that left seniors at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"
On Dec. 23 and 24, a blackout at JJ Henderson Senior Apartments left residents confused, afraid and at risk. Now Durham Housing Authority officials say they are working with the building managers, California Commercial Investment Companies, to improve response in future emergencies. But communication with residents has been scarce, and some details about what happened during the blackout remain unclear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At a virtual meeting Feb. 14, members of DHA\u2019s Resident Services and Operations Committee described improvements to the building\u2019s electronic locks, possible new emergency charging stations and plans for improved communications. They also pushed back on residents\u2019 statements that no one checked on them until Dec. 27, saying that someone did check on the building during the blackout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n JJ Henderson is an apartment community that provides affordable housing for seniors and disabled people. During a blackout on Dec. 23 and 24,\u00a0 building residents said their health equipment, such as heart monitors, equipment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and electric wheelchairs, stopped working. The electronic locks to the building failed, they said, allowing strangers to enter. They said that the lights went out in their apartments, and the heat failed in some units. And, they said that no one from building management or DHA checked on them for several days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was scared to death,\u201d Pearlie Williams, a resident of JJ Henderson, said in an interview. \u201cI was like, \u2018Help me, what is going on?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n News of the JJ Henderson blackout and its handling was first reported by The 9th Street Journal on Feb. 3, after residents brought their concerns to a City Council work session.<\/span><\/p>\n CCI has not responded to multiple requests for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n At the recent DHA meeting, Anthony Snell, the director of development at the housing authority, said that the building\u2019s electronic locks, which failed during the outage, are now connected to the building\u2019s emergency generator. He also said that he and CCI would explore creating emergency charging stations for residents\u2019 medical devices and telephones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Originally built in the 1970s, JJ Henderson was recently renovated by DHA in partnership with other companies, including CCI. The <\/span>$31.2 million<\/span><\/a> renovation, part of DHA\u2019s Downtown and Neighborhood Plan, utilized a $2.9 million loan from the City of Durham.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n