In one of the worst heat waves North Texas has faced in years, the city of Dallas responded Tuesday to an apartment complex where dozens of residents said they've been without properly functioning air conditioning for weeks.
People living at Rosemont at Meadow Lane said temperatures inside their homes crept perilously close to triple digits.
“It’s hot, very hot. I have kids,” said Dejanique Savannah.
In response to complaints, code compliance officers and Dallas police descended on the 200-unit complex where the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center said some have been without properly functioning ACs for weeks.
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“Some of these units are as hot as 95 to 100 degrees. These are two-story units. Bedrooms are upstairs, living areas downstairs. Typically upstairs units are out, so families are congregating in living rooms on pallets to avoid having to go up to bedrooms in apartments to try to stay as cool as possible,” said board chair Mark Melton.
Following an investigation that continued into the afternoon, code compliance issued the complex 34 citations for failure to provide adequate air conditioning.
Management on site declined to comment and referred NBC 5 to a company email.
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So far, requests have gone unanswered.
“So far the landlord has not committed to fixing this immediately,” said Melton.
While they wait for a solution, those living here debated whether to head to a cooling center four miles away or to continue to cope just as they have for weeks.
“They need to do better in the community,” said Ida Mae McKinney.
The city’s cooling center remains open until 11 p.m. Tuesday night at Dallas's Larry Johnson Recreation Center at 3700 Dixon Avenue.
Tenants experiencing similar issues should call 311 to make a report.
