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Sep 16, 2023Houston water tank explodes, flooding nearby homes | khou.com
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HOUSTON — A water tank explosion has left two Houston-area families reeling.
They now face tens of thousands of dollars in damages and recently found out they’re on the hook to pay for it all. The legal team KHOU 11 spoke with said the area where the water tank is located has governmental immunity.
When you enter either of the northwest Houston homes impacted by the explosion you’ll instantly see the damages both inside and outside the home.
"All this was brand new," Kevin Jennings said.
Jennings will be the first to tell you right now things are currently out of place.
"It just feels so helpless like I feel like I’ve lost everything," Jennings said.
The damages seen throughout are the result of an explosion at the Reid Road Municipal Utility District (MUD) Number One’s storage tank. It poured gallons upon gallons of water into nearby homes including Jennings and his next-door neighbors -- the Steiners.
"We’re in the same ship together and we just hope it’s not the Titanic but right now it’s kind of looking like the Titanic," Jennings said.
The bottom floor of both homes has been gutted as a result of water damage.
"I’m done! I’m mad," Janet Steiner said.
The explosion occurred in July, but both families are speaking out now after receiving a letter from the legal counsel of Reid Road MUD Number One. It said the land the tank is on is a state unit and therefore protected by governmental immunity. The letter also said the immunity can be waived under limited circumstances but the families' claims do not qualify, which means their property damage claims can be rejected.
"I was kicked in the gut when I got that letter last night," Steiner said.
Now, both families are looking to what comes next and feeling as though responsibility is being passed along.
"I don’t care whose fault it is was -- the pipe maker or engineer. It wasn’t the Jennings' fault and it wasn’t my fault," Steiner said.
Both families have had to get creative with their living situations as they have pets and elderly mothers. They are both working with their insurance companies to see what comes next since this has now legally been classified as an explosion but aren’t sure when a firm answer could come.