On the 3200 block of Candleway, portions of a large tree remain on top of what's left of a home's garage. The garage itself is sheared away from the house, exposing insulation and other debris. It's been that way for months, and it's right next door to Mona Castillo's home.
"During the hurricane, a tree came down and knocked the garage. They haven't done anything," Castillo said, who says the home has been empty since longtime owners sold it about five years ago. "I have to live here. I'm afraid because my fence is holding all this debris."
Castillo says she called the sheriff's department, which says it can't do anything because it's private property. She says she's called the Harris County Health Department, which has not determined this is a health nuisance, even though it appears that way to Castillo.
ABC13 called Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey on Thursday afternoon. He said the county attorneys' guidance discourages their office from going on private property to remove debris.
"We trim our tree. We just don't have the money to spend on something that is not our responsibility. I feel like the owners should come up and fix it," he said.
Finding the homeowners has been a challenge. Property records show the house is owned by a trust in New York. There is no publicly listed phone number for that trust. The homeowners' association told ABC13 they are working with attorneys to try to contact the owners. It's been a slow process, and it's unclear if attorneys have actually made contact. The HOA says it hopes to have some resolution by the end of the year.
In the meantime, Castillo has to live next to a pile of debris, hoping the situation improves.
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