Serenity House Assists Sunset Drive Flood Victims
Residents of Sunset Drive in Warsaw are settling in for yet another wave of flooding in their neighborhood. As water levels continue to rise without cresting in sight, one local group hopes to give some reprieve from the stress and damages associated with the flooding to the neighborhood.
Members of the Serenity House, a local program that assists those recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, were quick to respond to the call for help at Sunset Drive this morning. Hoss Smith, Warsaw house manager for Serenity House, gathered four men from the home this morning to help place sandbags around homes on the flooded street. According to Smith, this is not the first time men from the program have been called to help provide assistance.
“We’ve been called out for the second time to help sandbag around four homes that are in immediate danger from the flooding the lake here and around the canals,” stated Smith. “The water level has crested along the banks and it’s slowly on the rise up. There are four houses that are in immediate danger that have already flooded and that’s where our concern is – to try and help those people out.
According to Smith, by 11:30 a.m. he and his crew placed 17 skids worth of sandbags along the four homes that were in the most immediate danger of flood damage. Smith estimates that roughly 500 to 600 bags have been placed thus far and more will be placed as they are made available to the workers.
“Right now I have four [men helping]. We’re going to keep a close eye on everything making sure that no other homes are in immediate dangers,” said Smith.
Though waters have already resulted in the Warsaw Street Department closing the road once again this spring, Smith stated that water levels are expected to continue to rise as more water drains from flooded fields in the area. Though the men of the Serenity House have helped to alleviate some of the immediate effects of the flooding, Smith said he and members of the house will offer continued assistance to other homeowners who may also need a helping hand.
“The guys from Serenity House are really wanting to give back to this community because the community has given back so much to them (by) allowing them to participate in the program,” Hoss explained. “These guys are in need of helping the community out – it’s a way of teaching them that they can be a part of the community.”
Smith said the Serenity House program has been extremely successful in helping those who enter its doors. Though the program offers 26 beds to residents at two locations in Warsaw, Smith stated there are currently 29 members enrolled in the program, which leaves three men sleeping on couches until other members graduate within the next few weeks.
Though the numbers are currently overflowing for the program, Smith encouraged those interested in becoming involved with or contributing to the Serenity House to contact him at 574-268-8688.