East Chicago senior housing project deemed unsafe, residents preparing to evacuate

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (WLS) -- Dozens of seniors are preparing to evacuate from a housing project in East Chicago, Indiana, after the building was deemed not structurally safe.

Residents at Nicosia Senior Building were alerted Tuesday morning that they would need to evacuate. Many are disabled, so it is not easy for them to just pack up and leave.

"After an architectural and engineering review, they want us to move now," said David, a resident at Nicosia Senior Building.

According to people who have lived at the property for years, this is not the first issue.

"It has been in bad shape for quite a while," said Michael, another resident.

Residents said the water has been seeping into the units, down the walls, and dripping out of open cracks in the building.

"Anybody with a little common sense is going to know that if the concrete gets wet like that, it is going to crumble. That is what is happening," Michael added.

The residents said they were given vouchers to stay at a hotel in the meantime.

ABC7 Eyewitness News reached out to the city of East Chicago for more information on the history of the building, but has not received a response.