THE STORM OF 2018:

The Aftermath & The Good News

The good news: No one was hurt. And none of the facilities were damaged. All the offices, amenities and services are up and running. 

The name “microburst” just doesn’t seem right. If you’re in one, it’s major and there’s nothing micro about it.

Year-round residents got to experience something major at The Resort. Here’s a photo of the storm taken from the local CBS station’s news helicopter. (The microburst would be just one area inside the bigger storm, where the shaft of air slams into the ground.)

We’ll take a look at what happened at The Resort, but first, Park GM Rhonda Ciacco asked that we issue this…

SCAM ALERT!

Rhonda: “Storms bring out the scammers. Whether or not you’ve had damage, they’ll call you up and say they are from your insurance company and need access to the park and your home. If you get a call from someone saying they’re with your insurance company, and you haven’t contacted them first, HANG UP and then call your insurance agent.”

The storm hit The Resort in the late afternoon of Monday, July 10^th, unleashing intense winds. (A microburst is a down-shaft of air, hitting the ground with the force capable of producing winds of over 100 mph.)

Here are some of the photos Rhonda took of the damage.

For the complete set of photo’s Rhonda sent over click here.

THE CLEANUP

Rhonda knew she was into a major project within minutes of the storm arriving. The Maintenance staff had gone home for the day, so she placed calls to each one and within ten minutes (!), they had all assembled. (The Maintenance Manager, Kelly, has been out the last few weeks, dealing with health issues, so Rhonda has added the duties of interim Maintenance Manager.)

They jumped in, starting with making the streets passable, assisted by many of the year-round residents. “It just so heartwarming,” Rhonda told us, “how the people at The Resort are a family. That’s always true, but in a crisis, it’s even moreso than usual.” She extended her thanks to summer-care folks, saying, “They were there, making sure they did everything they could for the residents. A big thank-you to them.”

At midnight that night, Rhonda sent the crew home, knowing that they would be back at their usual starting time of 5AM. She carried on through most of the night, helping residents and assessing what the maintenance team should start on the next day.

After clearing the streets, the priority was to make sure everything was secure. Then, they could tackle challenges like saving trees. Here they are, working to save one of the ficus trees:

THE DAMAGE & THE GOOD NEWS

The total number of homes damaged at The Resort stands at 147. Rhonda anticipates that the repair work will go into the season, as damage at other surrounding parks means that there will a waiting list for some repairs. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that there were no known injuries. Plus, most of the property damage was limited to carports and Arizona rooms. The park buildings and facilities were not damaged.

Thanks to Rhonda and her team and everyone who pitched in, the park is well on its way to being put back together.