The city of New Orleans, under pressure from angry residents and a court decision, has agreed to notify homeowners before any hurricane-damaged dwellings, left, are demolished, even those washed into streets or reduced to heaps of debris.

Homeowners were angered last month when a senior official announced that 2,500 buildings had to be torn down within weeks because they posed an imminent threat to the public.

A lawsuit was filed to stop the city from proceeding with its plans. On Friday a federal judge approved a settlement between the city and plaintiffs that set up a notification system.

Under the agreement, homeowners of about 120 properties that were seriously damaged or pose an immediate threat to the public will be given seven to ten days’ notice.

The lawsuit was filed because many residents who were evacuated to other cities have not had a chance to go through their homes.

The city has said that as many as 5,500 homes and businesses on the east bank of the Mississippi may need to be demolished.

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