Landslide condemns houses in Pittsburgh neighborhood

A landslide forced evacuations in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood on Tuesday.

Two homes on Kenzig Avenue and four on Goehring Street have condemned signs on them, with the city contacting the Red Cross to help residents move their belongings and put them up in hotels, if necessary.

The massive landslide pulled trees, mud and debris onto some homes while undermining others higher up the hillside.

One homeowner initially refused to leave.

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“I feel horrible about the whole situation, when somebody tells me they’re gonna come and take me out of my house when there's nothing wrong with my property,” said Helen Jackson.

Jackson’s home is among those with condemned signs, but she told Channel 11 this morning she doesn’t want to leave.

“You think they’re gonna watch my house so nobody goes in it and takes my copper piping, takes my belongings?” she said.

Jackson told Channel 11 she has nowhere to go and no means to move from the Kenzig Avenue home. She even stocked up on quarts of water as crews worked to shut off a water line to the condemned houses.

However, after a visit from Maura Kennedy, director of the city’s ‎Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections, Jackson and her husband were satisfied the city was addressing their concerns and no longer resisted the move.

Experts tell Channel 11 you lose your right to stay in your home if it is condemned due to life-threatening danger. Homeowners can be forced to leave.

Randal Miller and his wife evacuated Monday night, unsure when or if they’ll be able to return to their home on Goehring Street.

“We have been instructed to keep calling the city for updates,” he said.

But having previously faced a fire at the very same home, they’re counting their blessings.

“We lost pretty much everything, and so in comparison, this is a much better situation because we had the warning to take stuff with us,” he said.

The city sent geotechnical engineers to assess the area Tuesday.

Cox Media Group