More than six months after catastrophic flooding nearly destroyed the Whispering Willows seniorsSA国际影视传媒� complex in Hay River, residents have finally returned home.
The vice-chair of the Hay River Seniors Society, Sandra Patterson Lester, was at home on May 13 when she was advised the complex was under an evacuation order and that residents had to leave before floodwaters enveloped the building.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey asked me to come in and help with identifying the seniors, most of them in Whispering Willows, and of course we have other members that were living in vulnerable places,SA国际影视传媒� she recalled. SA国际影视传媒淏y time I got there, everybody was being evacuated from the Whispering Willows complex. And I helped through the evening with some of the seniors that had had flooding events in their actual homes where water poured in on them, and they were rescued.SA国际影视传媒�
When Patterson Lester returned to the complex the next morning after the flood had abated, she said SA国际影视传媒渢he damage was basically catastrophic.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淭hey deemed the building unlivable and they moved everybody as best they could throughout the North.SA国际影视传媒�
For months, residents of the 17-unit complex have been living in temporary accommodations, such as hotels, rented spaces and family membersSA国际影视传媒� homes across the North.
Today, aside from one individual who moved away from the community, SA国际影视传媒渆very single person is now back in their apartment,SA国际影视传媒� said Patterson Lester.
The flooding severely damaged the building, especially the complexSA国际影视传媒檚 Alice Cambridge common area, and repair costs amounted to about $1.4 million, she said.
SA国际影视传媒淏asically, the main floor had to be rebuilt,SA国际影视传媒� said Patterson Lester. SA国际影视传媒淎ll the millwork and all the cabinetry was pretty much destroyed because it had 12 inches of water in it.SA国际影视传媒�
In addition, the buildingSA国际影视传媒檚 crawlspace flooded, meaning components for its heating, electrical, plumbing systems and the elevator needed to be replaced due to water damage.
A large amount of furniture and cabinetry was saved thanks to the diligent salvage work of society members Gary Visnowski and David Alexander, who SA国际影视传媒渟tarted (cleaning) the water out of our room because we wanted to save everything we could,SA国际影视传媒� Patterson Lester said.
In a Nov. 19 news release, the Hay River Seniors Society announced that the Alice Cambridge Room was ready to reopen.
The society thanked SA国际影视传媒渆veryone involved in getting the Whispering Willows complex back to the tenants,SA国际影视传媒� including Arctic Canada Construction Ltd (Arcan), the GNWT and ProCan, in addition to Visnowski, Alexander, Tom Makepeace, Pat Burnstad, Ron Shaw, Velma Rowe, Norma Shaw and Bonnie Webb.
SA国际影视传媒淲ithout the help of these folks, we wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be opening,SA国际影视传媒� it reads.
Patterson Lester compared the reopening to a SA国际影视传媒減hoenix rising out of the ashes.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淭hey knew how stressed people were, and they handled it very well,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 more than we could have hoped for.SA国际影视传媒�
Along with damage to the building, the flooding meant most seniors lost a large amount of their furniture and belongings.
To help replace lost items, the United Way NWT recently donated $500 to each resident, SA国际影视传媒渟o everybody is in really good spirits,SA国际影视传媒� said Patterson Lester.
When asked whether some displaced residents had expressed frustration with delays in the rebuilding and reopening process, Patterson Lester replied, SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of people want to fault the government because they took too long to do it, but considering what had to be done in the building, I think they did probably not the worldSA国际影视传媒檚 best job, but certainly right up there.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey really went out of their way for these people,SA国际影视传媒� she continued. SA国际影视传媒淭he government did a good thing. They made seniors a number one priority.SA国际影视传媒�
