SAN ANTONIO -- The company who built the homes affected by a landslide on the Northwest Side has agreed to pick up the tab for the residents' hotel stay and meals.
About 80 homes in the Hills of Rivermist were evacuated Sunday after what first appeared be a sinkhole turned into a major landslide. The homes were built by Centex, which is owned by Pulte Homes.
News 4 WOAI attempted to contact representatives from Centex Homes Monday without success.
According to the Better Business Bureau, Centex has been building in San Antonio for a while. The Hills at Rivermist subdivision near Loop 1604 and Bandera has been around since 2004. So the houses there are fairly new.
Centex representatives and city officials held a meeting at O'Connor High School Sunday night after the evacuations.
The Centex representatives told displaced families the company would pay for their stay at the Drury Inn and help out with meal expenses.
After the meeting the company gave it's first and only statement to reporters.
"Obviously, our primary concern here is the well being of our residents," said Laurin Darnell of Centex Homes. "We're working diligently to get to the root cause of the problem."
News 4 WOAI also contacted OSHA, the federal agency that investigates work site accidents. They confirmed that in 2003, Centex was investigated for a scaffolding accident that happened at one of their San Antonio sites. According to OSHA officials, the case was settled for money and was closed within a few months.
News 4 WOAI is also checking with the city's planning and development department to see what type of permits and plans the company had to file before building at the Hill of Rivermist site. We'll bring you that information as soon as the city gets back to us.
