Piedmont flood reflections


  • June 13, 2014
  • /   Staff Reports
  • /   training-development

Lisa Gottschalk rode out last month’s flood in her truck with her son, his wife and their dog, after a gas line broke in their house.

They sat in the cab of the truck watching through flashes of lightning, as “Piedmont Road turned into a river” she said.

As crews work to put Piedmont back together, you see the toll the flood took on the neighborhood, but you also see how this event brought neighbors together.

From the stress of having to trudge through sand and clay to reach their homes every day, grew relationships that had yet to be formed in this Cordova Park community.

“It was like after a hurricane, everybody comes out and you talk and help each other,“ said Gottschalk. “People were coming by, checking on us, to see if we needed anything.”

Neighbors from other streets came to pass out water and to lend a hand to those who needed assistance, many of whom they’d never met before.

Another neighbor described the first time he met the man who lived across the street from him.

Sure, he’d watched from afar as the man’s son was born and grew up. They’d exchanged a nod and wave every now and then.

But it wasn’t until the flood washed away the asphalt that separated them, that they formally met one another.

A neighbor turned friend after 13 years.

Kristin Fairchild and her son in the backyard while repair work was going on at their Piedmont Road home.

Kristin Fairchild, another resident of Piedmont, received a $250 check from an anonymous sender.

No name or strings attached, just a simple, kind gesture of someone wanting to help. The anonymous donor just asked that she return the favor should she ever see someone in need.

When asked how the storm has affected the neighborhood, Gottschalk said, “I think all of our neighbors know each other better.”

She’s hopeful that they’ll be able to maintain those newly formed relationships.

“We’re talking about maybe having a BBQ or something, a little street party.”

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