91-year-old woman’s Knoxville home unsafe after foundation collapses

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The home of a 91-year-old Knoxville woman is unsafe to live in after a storm, according to an engineering report.

East Tennessee had several days of steady rain at the end of July and the beginning of August. The rainwater was forceful and there was so much of it that it accumulated along the side of a 100-year old home, and a section of the foundation wall collapsed.

With the help of Roy Wade, a licensed remodeling contractor, we lifted the waterproof tarps placed alongside a 100-year-old home. What was revealed was an eight-foot-wide gap in the foundation wall. Sections of the wall fell into the crawlspace below the house.

“The foundation is questionable, we have temporary support. It is a big hole,” said Glenda Blakely, the daughter of the home’s owner.

In the crawl space, temporary supports have been built to hold up the floor joists.

“I’m concerned about the house falling in on me,” said Dorothy Blakely.

She heard a loud noise on the day the foundation collapsed on August 1.

“Well, I didn’t know what to think because I had never seen [anything] like that before,” said Dorothy Blakely.

A huge storm front moved in at end the of July blanketing Knoxville and East Tennessee. There were several days of steady rain, enough to create flooding in low-lying areas. When rainwater hit the road in front of Dorothy Blakely’s home it flowed down a slight slope in her yard and gathered at the lowest point in front of the weak foundation wall.

Dorothy Blakely bought the home with a loan from Knoxville’s Housing and Development Office 10 years ago. The relatively new roof is now sagging due to the partially collapsed foundation wall. Inside, the ceiling is also sagging, and there are cracks in the wall, not only in the living room but in the dining room as well.

“The crack is from where the structure fell down. When they heard that big boom the home fell just enough to create a crack on the side of the wall over there,” said Wade.

Nationwide Insurance paid for an independent Forensic Engineering Report. Dorothy Blakely’s insurance company wanted to determine the cause of the foundation wall damage. The report’s conclusion is direct: “The area is unsafe and no one should enter the damaged area or occupy the house.”

“Where is she going to go? I have called all of the social service agencies, and they’ve said, we don’t handle that,” said Glenda Blakely.

Nationwide Insurance denied Dorothy Blakely’s claim for coverage. The Nationwide report said the “damage was the result of earth movement caused by surface water,” and, “surface water is an excluded cause of loss.”

“I find it totally unacceptable. I have no control over surface water,” said Glenda Blakely.

Dorothy Blakely still owes $18,000 in mortgage payments on that loan assumed in 2015. Now, she is not supposed to be living in the house, deemed unsafe, and she doesn’t want to move.

“And, it’s her home, she’s paid for it. I know people think she should go to a nursing home or assisted living, but she has caregivers coming in to take care of her. I want her house repaired so she can live the last few days on this earth in peace. And it’s just a matter of time before the whole thing collapses,” said Glenda Blakely.

Knoxville’s housing and neighborhood development office told 6 News that the immediate concern for Dorothy Blakely is getting her into a safe home. The office is looking into potential housing options for her.

As far as repairs go, first, an assessment would have to be made to determine how the foundation can be repaired and what it would cost to fix the damage. We were told, that process may take some time, and those decisions will be up to the family.

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