March 2022 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER 5
Storm
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wiped out chimney tops . Down near the tennis courts it wiped out a deck on the outside of the house ; we had to have that rebuilt . Just to get the trees removed from those two areas , it cost $ 11,500 to get trees removed ,” Steve said .
When the power went out , he said many of the residents in the community left Charbonneau to stay in motels and hotels nearby .
Once the storm subsided , roadblocks continued and he said the two HOAs wound up spending around $ 150,000 combined on this clean-up efforts .
“ The big problem is because of COV- ID all of the contractors , subcontractors , supplies for rebuilding what was damaged in the units , it took us almost a whole year to get everything put together again ,” he said .
All in all , Rick said Charbonneau Homeowners Association , Arbor Lake and Charbonneau Country Club spent $ 215,000 on clean-up efforts .
Emergency response
Prior to the storm , the country club ’ s Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety Committee had focused on preparing the community mainly for a major earthquake , according to member John McLain . A potential ice storm , he said , wasn ’ t really on the committee ’ s radar .
In turn , unsure of how long the storm would last , John said the committee was late to invoke procedures involving the 110 Neighborhood Captains Network who use handheld radios to coordinate efforts . John said they took longer to do this because they thought the power outages would not last long but that , if this were to happen again , they would enact the protocols immediately .
“ We realized we think we ’ re pretty organized , but there ’ s a lot of work to be done to be prepared for a week without power and transportation ,” John said .
Additionally , the country club and other homeowners associations have purchased generators so that buildings
COURTESY PHOTO
Charbonneau Golf Club clean-up efforts included both contractors and volunteers in the community .
like the new activity center will have access to power when other sources go out . And Rick said residents he has spoken with have followed suit .
“ Right now residents are now getting generators installed in their homes — not small portable ones , they ’ re actually getting them installed where they use gas hookup and permanently installed because of that ,” he said . The emergency committee also has a list of people who may need help in the case of another disaster .
Despite some communication struggles , local neighbors lent a helping hand to each other throughout the outage — offering a warm place to congregate , food and assistance .
“ People started networking , reaching out and finding each other . It was a nice community result you ’ d hope to see ,” Rick said .
Some other lessons they learned , according to John , included making sure community members know who their neighborhood captain is — prompting them to buy clearly identifiable vests for those captains — as well as text messages being the most reliable way to communicate with others and cell phones requiring external batteries or charging stations . They also have tried to increase community member access to emergency kits so that they have basic supplies .
John hoped that the ice storm as well as the wildfires in 2020 would serve as a sobering wake-up call for the community .
“ It ’ s a wake-up call that , regardless of what you think is causing it , there are going to be more of those in the future , not less . Our assumption is at least once or twice a year we have to fire up the system and help people ,” he said .
Having a best friend in the kitchen . That ’ s the Power of WE .
Imagine your life having a complete support system . It ' s like an extended family working together , supporting you , lifting you up , raising your spirits and making life easier . Every day . Your meals , your prescriptions , your chores , even a hobby or two , all looked after and taken care of . Smiles at every turn , a joke with a neighbor , a chef who knows just how you like your favorite meal . A life thriving through connection . That ’ s senior living at SpringRidge .
Mastered Meals :
COOKING DEMONSTRATION WITH CHEF M C CREA
Thursday , March 31 st • 1:30pm
Join us for an interactive cooking demonstration with our executive chef . Enjoy delicious samples of Chef McCrea ’ s dish and tantalize your tastebuds . Seating is limited . To make a reservation , please call 503.925.4968 .
CARF-ACCREDITED INDEPENDENT & ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE RESIDENCES
32200 SW French Prairie Road • Wilsonville SpringRidgeatCharbonneau . com • 503.925.4968
AN SRG SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY