Crews begin installing new appliances at McDougald Terrace

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Crews with Hays Heating & Air are installing new appliances with updated heaters, ventilation and electric stoves at the troubled McDougald Terrace public housing complex.

On Monday, ABC11 arrived to find boxes stacked almost to the ceiling inside a vacant apartment at McDougald Terrace.

New appliance parts were inside the boxes and across the room was a new heater ready for crews to install.

For the past two weeks, Chelsea Alston has been living with family, but on Monday, the mother of two was back home grabbing a few items to move into a hotel.

"I feel sad that it's taking this much to make it a priority," Alston said.

Her 66-year-old apartment still has the original stove and heater at the center of the complex's carbon monoxide scare.

"It's disgusting," Alston said. "I feel a little bit better that it's getting fixed and they are putting effort into changing it."

Hundreds of more than 300 apartment units will undergo upgrades.

DHA has not said how long it will take to finish these changes or how much it will cost.

On Monday, we found old appliances in the courtyard between units.

Meanwhile, hundreds of residents remain in hotels with no clear checkout date.

"It's depressing and it's stressful," Alston said. "You don't know if it's safe to leave your kids out here. It's just too much going on."