HOUSTON — Neighbors living near the site of the Watson Grinding explosion cleared out their homes Sunday.
Some said they feared looting while others said they were confident their homes would be condemned.
“A lot of it is not salvageable because a water pipe busted up in the ceiling, and it poured upstairs and in her bedroom," homeowner Catherine Laake said. "So a lot of it can’t be saved.”
The homes of Catherine Laake and her neighbors appear eerily familiar to how residences looked following Hurricane Harvey.
Front yards are littered with sheetrock, debris and furniture that can not be saved.
“The antique furniture that I’ve had for a long time," Laake said. "This is pretty much all that we can save.”
Laake made the decision to hire a moving crew to pack and move her belongings ahead of her meeting with an insurance adjuster.
The day began with violence after a DPS trooper opened fire on suspected thieves who allegedly rammed their vehicle into the trooper's patrol unit at a neighborhood blockade.
Houston police said the men were driving a trailer containing allegedly stolen property.
Police said the suspected thieves took off on foot after crashing their trailer but were eventually caught.
They said they believe the property was stolen from a nearby business, not from within the damage zone.
Police said they do not believe they were looting.
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