Structure problems force nearly 100 from NW Indiana tower

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — Nearly 100 people have been moved from a nine-story public housing building in northwestern Indiana after inspectors found serious structural problems. The East Chicago Housing Authority ordered 94 residents to evacuate the Nicosia Senior Building on Wednesday, moving them to rooms at three hotels in nearby Hammond. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports that the action came after an engineering firm found “significant structural distress” from splitting and corroding steel in the 50-year-old building’s support columns. Much of the 207-unit building was already vacant following years of problems with roach and rodent infestations, leaky ceilings and mold. East Chicago is about 25 miles southeast of Chicago.