Kirkwood employees displaced by flood
Jasmine Myers
Issue date: 8/18/08 Section: Feature
It was 3:04 a.m. Two firemen knocked on the front door and told the residents they had to leave their home because the river was reaching dangerously high levels. They had just 20 minutes to pack pieces of their lives into a suitcase, with little knowledge of how long it would be before they could return. This was the scene at the home of Judy Usher, athletic department assistant, just before the flood.
Usher's home of 39 years was one of many to fall prey to the rising waters during the flood in mid-June. Her house was located on two of the demarcation lines of the 100 hundred-year flood plain. Usher said the damage was considered "substantial," necessitating the ceilings and walls of the entire first floor to be torn out and replaced, along with new plumbing, new electric and ductwork , as well as replacement of all doors and windows before the house could be brought up to city code.
Usher wasn't the only Kirkwood staff member to suffer flood-related over the summer. Several other instructors lived in the same area as Usher. Karol Spores, enrollment, lived only four houses away from Usher. Kim Fensterman, environmental training instructor, and Karen Friedrich, continuing education program manager, also lived in the area. Lisa Kuzela, mathematic department, lost her home as well.
While other houses in the area remain decimated, Usher's house was cleaned out within two weeks. Her children, along with their friends and spouses, all came a few evenings a week to work. FEMA came on June 25 and went through the house to assess the damage. Usher said a check for living expenses was deposited into their account by the following Friday. She was contacted twice by FEMA after that to ask if she needed housing but she said she refused, having moved to her son's house in Fairfax. Usher and her husband are considering purchasing a condo in the area.
"I can handle this," she said of her current situation. "In these times, you still have to laugh. You just gotta get through somehow."
The Facility Foundation, which was created 40 years ago, provided financial support for all faculty members who were affected by the flood. There were 30 Kirkwood employees who were displaced by the flood. All employees were also able to volunteer without loss of pay.
Students affected by the flood can apply for a grant in the financial aid office. "We're all in this together," said Kirkwood president Mick Starcevich, "And everybody has to pitch in."
Usher's home of 39 years was one of many to fall prey to the rising waters during the flood in mid-June. Her house was located on two of the demarcation lines of the 100 hundred-year flood plain. Usher said the damage was considered "substantial," necessitating the ceilings and walls of the entire first floor to be torn out and replaced, along with new plumbing, new electric and ductwork , as well as replacement of all doors and windows before the house could be brought up to city code.
Usher wasn't the only Kirkwood staff member to suffer flood-related over the summer. Several other instructors lived in the same area as Usher. Karol Spores, enrollment, lived only four houses away from Usher. Kim Fensterman, environmental training instructor, and Karen Friedrich, continuing education program manager, also lived in the area. Lisa Kuzela, mathematic department, lost her home as well.
While other houses in the area remain decimated, Usher's house was cleaned out within two weeks. Her children, along with their friends and spouses, all came a few evenings a week to work. FEMA came on June 25 and went through the house to assess the damage. Usher said a check for living expenses was deposited into their account by the following Friday. She was contacted twice by FEMA after that to ask if she needed housing but she said she refused, having moved to her son's house in Fairfax. Usher and her husband are considering purchasing a condo in the area.
"I can handle this," she said of her current situation. "In these times, you still have to laugh. You just gotta get through somehow."
The Facility Foundation, which was created 40 years ago, provided financial support for all faculty members who were affected by the flood. There were 30 Kirkwood employees who were displaced by the flood. All employees were also able to volunteer without loss of pay.
Students affected by the flood can apply for a grant in the financial aid office. "We're all in this together," said Kirkwood president Mick Starcevich, "And everybody has to pitch in."
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