Alison Bologna of NBC 10 recently covered our Flood Heroes. Click here to view the video.

Rachel, Erin and Julie have lived together at Amanda Street since November 2002.  As the rain continued last March 30, the women watched as the river behind their house rose, came up to their deck and slowly flooded their basement.

Ultimately, Rachel, Erin and Julie were evacuated with many of their neighbors.  But the they worried about their home and what was to come.

The West Bay family, however, put all their worries to rest.  Arrangements were made for each of the three to stay at one of three West Bay homes, while demolition and repairs began at Amanda Street.  The staff and individuals at these homes - Knollwood, Helen Avenue, and Whiting Street - went out of their way to make them comfortable and meet their needs.

Meanwhile, the maintenance team, realizing the impact of the relocation on the Amanda Street group, rebuilt the lower level of the home in a flash.  Just one week after the flood the women returned home and resumed the normal routines that they desired and needed.

"Not being home was rough but we appreciated that we had friends to help us out and give us a place to stay," the Amanda Street ladies say.  "We were happy to get home."

Click here to view additional West Bay Flood Stories.

 

Welcome to the first electronic edition of the West Bay Connection. Delivered directly to your inbox, this new email version of the newsletter will be our way of keeping you up to date on the latest news about our community here at West Bay.  It will not only keep you informed, but it will also save the paper we used to use on the old newsletter.
 
We're excited about our transition to an e-newsletter - I hope you find it a useful and informative way to get the latest about the residents and the team here at West Bay.
 
Best wishes,

Ana Sousa is director of maintenance for West Bay. Her phone started ringing on the morning of March 30 - and never stopped.

• 1st phone call - Tuesday March 30, 2010, 4:00 am
  The Lancelotta home in West Warwick called because the 3rd shift heard water in the basement. A member of the 3rd shift went downstairs to take a look. Their foot was submerged in water at the first step.
• 2nd phone call - Tuesday March 30, 2010, 5:00 am
  Amanda Street home in Cranston, 3rd shift called. Ana, who was already at Lancelotta, told the staff person she would be on her way as soon as Lancelotta was "stable". Amanda Street basement was flooded up to the 2nd step of the basement.
• 3rd phone call - Tuesday March 30, 2010, 6:00 am
  Central home in Johnston called Ana to report the basement was flooded and that emergency supplies, storage bins and other items were floating. 

By 7 am Ana had her crew were on the ground at six homes, dealing with flooded basements. Ana called Kathy Millard to give her details of where her crew were assisting, what equipment was needed, and discuss the next steps.

"Throughout it all, Ana's efforts were heroic," said John DiMarco.  "Ana dealt with electricians, plumbers, lumber yards and clean-up crews. She prioritized where clean up was needed and gave direction."

Kathy Millard

Kathy Millard has been the Assistant Director of West Bay since we opened our doors in 1981. Since then, she has seen many things - but never anything like the Flood of 2010.

"Before leaving the office on Tuesday the 30th we tried to prepare in case the river behind us overflowed its banks," Kathy remembered.  "As it turned out, though, nothing could stop the river, and the flood."

The phone calls to Kathy's house started to come in very early on the morning of Wednesday March 31, 2010.  First there was Ana, with news that the basements in six homes were flooded. Kathy and Ana leaped into action - coordinating manpower, shop vacs and dehumidifiers.  They also had to find temporary shelter for the ladies from Amanda Street, since the stream behind their home had risen and the neighborhood was being evacuated.

Throughout the emergency Kathy was using three phones at once - her house phone, her cell phone and her husband's cell phone. And the news kept getting worse.  A trip by Ana, John and George in a rubber raft down Knight Street allowed them to see the damage up close.  "By Wednesday afternoon the water had made its way into the building and had reached the copy machine!" Kathy said. 

They made the quick decision to take the computer server to John's house to be set up again.  Before leaving, they made a quick call to Brenda to get the combination to the safe, then took all the money and documents inside.  This allowed them to meet payroll two days later.

 "When the sun came out on Thursday, we began the arduous task of cleaning up," Kathy remembers.  "We put work crews together, dumpsters were ordered and delivered, office staff in to clean up and supplies were purchased."

"This continued for what seemed like an eternity," she added.

Kathy did take one break, however.  The following Sunday was Easter, and she had a quick dinner with her family.  Then - right back to work.

"Through it all, Kathy was the one who prioritized, organized, gave direction and in all honesty kept the rest of us focused," said John DiMarco. "She was a real leader."