When the students at Stratford Landing found out that one of their families had lost everything during Hurricane Isabel, they responded by collecting money through their Care and Share Committee.
When Patty Biniek, manager of Power Video, realized that family videos might be ruined, she said that she would try to dry them out and put them in a new case. She also started posting information about recovery efforts in her store window.
When Libby Bryant, manager of Hodges Galleries, discovered that many people thought their old prints and photos were ruined, she said that she would work on saving them.
"A lot of things can be saved if you get them out of the frame right away," she said.
When Pat Malone, president of the Bucknell Little League realized that people from Belle View and New Alexandria needed food, he organized a canned food drive.
And, when United Community Ministries (UCM) realized that the families affected by the hurricane needed help, they set up a fund.
ALL AROUND THE area, people have been pitching in to help the families in Belle View and New Alexandria, whose homes were deluged with water during Hurricane Isabel. The American Red Cross has been delivering meals and cleaning supplies to homes in the flood area. Blaise Pugh received one of the cleaning supply kits last week; he's also had a couple of the self-heating meals.
"They're not bad," he said.
Members of Volunteer Fairfax worked around the clock to staff Emergency Operation Center hotline phones, distribute bottled water and supplement Red Cross staff at temporary shelters around Fairfax County. They still need volunteers to help residents in Belle View and New Alexandria with yard and trash clean-up. They are also taking furniture and clothing donations for those affected by the storm.
YET, MANY RESIDENTS are still without hot water, gas, non-generated electrical power and phones. Kendra Fernandez, who spent the summer moving into a rental unit at Belle View, had just gotten settled the first week of September, right before Isabel hit. She and her daughters went to the Ritz-Carlton the first night after the storm because she thought that this would be a temporary situation.
"I thought it would be one night. Who would think that it would take so long? I feel like a vagabond now, we've been shaken up and thrown out."
They stayed at a couple of different places the first week and are now staying at a friend's townhouse because they still have no gas or hot water. Electricity is being supplied by a generator. Fernandez can't afford the luxury of the Ritz now. She's worried how she's going to pay her rent, plus pay for expenses at her friend's place. She's worried about buying a new car because hers was ruined by the storm; and she's wondering when she's going to get a check from FEMA.
Fernandez had called State Farm Insurance the day before the hurricane to apply for renter's insurance. She didn't choose to call that day because she was worried about the hurricane; she just hadn't had a chance to call before that. They told her she had to wait until after the hurricane. Even if she had been approved, the insurance would not have covered her personal property, which was what she lost. At the weekly association meeting held this past Wednesday, many people, including Association treasurer Leslie Violette, confirmed that most insurance policies did not cover personal belongings.
FERNANDEZ WAS LUCKIER than most, because she had put things on shelves, so her old photos and grandmother's sewing machine were saved. Not saved were several pairs of shoes, Christmas decorations and some of her daughter's toys.
"They don't know about those yet," said Fernandez. "I'm trying to shelter them, they didn't see the water in the basement and they weren't here the night of the flood."
Fernandez returned home last Monday after the meeting that was held at the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, and said that it was very dark. There were no lights on in the hallway or courtyard.
"Here I was walking around with a flashlight and the girl's Barbie townhouse they wanted me to retrieve," said Fernandez, who's frustrated with the way things have been handled.
"I know everybody's tried, but I don't understand why it's going to take six weeks to replace hot water heaters. Where are they coming from, Russia on a barge?"
Violette said that courtyard lights had been turned on as of Wednesday. She also said that they were doing an assessment on all the hot water heaters. The board had been told by the county that if the unit had been submerged that it would have to be replaced even if it still worked. Violette said that they were going to go to each building and determine which units need to be replaced, and then place an order.
"I don't know how readily available they are," she said, but thought that they would be in good shape by mid-October. The board has hired a consultant, Dave Sancic, to interface with the contractors. Interstate Renovation has been contracted to do the first phase of the reconstruction, which includes emergency restoration of power, hauling away the items in the basement and the stability and clean-up of the J-units and townhouse basements.
Violette said that they haven't awarded the contract yet for the second phase, which will deal with the refurbishing of the J-units and basement townhouses, among other things. Carpeting will be provided by the same commercial firm that laid the carpeting originally. Hillman Environmental Company will be responsible for testing of mold and treatment of asbestos.
VIOLETTE HAS BEEN on the Board since 1994, and said that they never had to deal with anything of this magnitude. She has a full-time job with the Office of Personnel Management and is juggling her board commitment with her work demands.
"The first week, I was in and out. I've been taking leave, they've [OPM] been very good about it," said Violette, who continues to spend every evening on the grounds attending to some issue.
"We weren't prepared to deal with this. The county called a meeting that afternoon and told us that there was going to be a storm surge, but not of this magnitude. They said that we'd get six inches or so of water in the street," said Violette, who was not alarmed because the area gets that from a normal rainstorm.
She heard about the mandatory evacuation like everybody else, on the radio. "The firemen started going door to door at 7 p.m., but that didn't give you much time to prepare," said Violette. "And even they didn't know how bad it was going to be. We were lulled into a sense of it not being so bad, even though they told us that we were the most vulnerable area of the county."
In retrospect, Violette wondered why, if Belle View and New Alexandria were the most vulnerable parts of the county, the storm water management team had been meeting with other areas of the county and not them.
"There's no way we could have been prepared," said Violette. Cleanup and restoration is well under way. The majority of the basements are dry and now are in the process of being sanitized. All units should have power from Dominion Virginia Power by October 3. Natural gas service is being restored this week. "The gas company insisted that we turn off the gas because they were concerned about getting water in the lines," said Violette. "They are pressure testing the lines to make sure that there are no leaks and turning them on as they go."
The good news is that the association had substantial reserves, well over a million dollars. Violette said that they will still probably have to take out a low-cost loan from SBA, something that will have to be voted on by the majority of the owners. At this point, however, they're not talking about a huge special assessment for the condo owners.
"The owners already have so many expenses, we're trying to keep the costs as low as possible," said Violette.
JEANNIE BOSANAC just had her gas turned on this week. The gas is for cooking only, not to power the hot water heaters because of the county requirement. Although her building is one of two that never lost hot water. She is one of the few who has had hot water all along.
Holly Mahla also has hot water and she said that she heard it was being provided by an electric-powered backup system rather than the usual gas-fired. "This seems to make the water not quite as hot as before, but I haven't noticed that the supply is limited. No complaints from me, however, having hot water is wonderful, even if it's not as hot as usual."
Mahla said that she still had no gas as of Tuesday. "I expect that will take a while since they are planning to check each unit individually and I think there are something like 1,800 units here. I have discovered lots of ways to cook using electricity, so I don't mind too much having the gas stovetop and oven unavailable; and it is wise to do these things incrementally.
"I do miss having the handy laundry facilities, but it's cool that the folks in the high rise down the road are making theirs available for Belle View people.
"It's been odd and also wonderful having so many strangers in the neighborhood doing cleanup and such. I will be happy when things return to normal, but I suppose that will be some time in the future."
Bosanac said that she chose not to evacuate because she had lived there over 22 years. "The last time the river did this was in 1933, before the condominiums were built. I assured people it would not happen."
At 3 a.m. the morning of Isabel's arrival, her neighbor, who lives in the basement apartment came up to her second-story unit. Water was coming into his apartment; it would be one of the units that ended up completely under water.
"I don't know that I would do anything different, I always felt safe and secure here," she said.
She doesn't plan to leave, nor does Fernandez.
"I love it here. It's a cute little area, a little pocket of Alexandria that nobody knows about."