Greenbrier residents have spent the past week helping elderly and disabled people who were displaced by flooding at the federally subsidized low-income housing complex where they live.
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Last weekend, 9 inches of rain transformed a small stream into a torrential river that left up to 2 feet of water in several units at the Greenbrier Gardens Apartments. Residents were wading through the water as it seeped through the crevices of their doorways Saturday night.
Joan Brown, 62, was reading in bed when her young nephew yelled from the other room: "Aunt Joan! The creek's in the house now!" Brown recalled.
As she peered outside that night, she could see the stream had engulfed the parking lot and homes around hers. After her sister Joyce Johnson placed a call to 911, Fire Department personnel arrived to evacuate the complex's elderly residents.
Fire crews took a wrecker to the scene and winched a cable over the flowing water to the homes, allowing residents to hold onto the cable to help them escape as the current pushed against them.
"When we were called out there, there was probably 2 feet of rushing water that we were up against," Greenbrier Fire Chief Cody Fulmer said. "We had to evacuate quite a few people."
All told, 22 people were evacuated from their homes that night, according to the building's management. Many of those residents live on fixed incomes and depend on the reduced rent Greenbrier Gardens provides. Many slept in the complex's office on cots and blankets provided by the Red Cross.
"All in all, Saturday night and Sunday was miserable. Monday we were just sitting out here," Brown said.
"We've had several people that're traumatized, and to a lot of them it's the expense of moving -- are they going to be able to afford to move back again?"
But word of the small crisis quickly spread across social media, and by Tuesday church groups, residents, businesses and elected officials were ready to help.
"When they all found out, [the help] poured in, and everything was good," Brown said.
By Friday afternoon, the apartment's management -- LEDIC Management Group -- counted more than 30 businesses and churches and 100 individuals, including the high school football team, that had lent a hand, helping to dispose of ruined furniture, providing food and relocating residents.
It will take roughly four months to rehabilitate the 22 destroyed units, said Michelle Cook, the management group's senior area manager.
In the meantime, about half the displaced residents have found temporary housing with family members. Others found housing elsewhere, in other apartments at comparable rent rates. Many of those complexes waived deposit and application fees, Cook said.
"What has been so fantastic about what has happened here is that the city of Greenbrier has just really stepped up and wrapped their arms around this community," Cook said.
Greenbrier Mayor Sammy Hartwick agreed.
"It's just been a community effort to get these people relocated and cleaned up and try and get life back to normal as soon as possible," Hartwick said.
Greenbrier Gardens is owned by Mississippi-based Quad States LLC. It was built in 2003, and additional units were added in 2011.
The complex was built on what had been designated a special flood hazard area, Greenbrier'sfloodplain administrator Jeff Ward said. The city had given development permits that enabled the construction of the project.
Developers obtained Low Income Housing Tax Credits to finance the complex's construction. The federal credits are distributed to developers by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, then are sold to banks and investors in exchange for private investment.
Projects financed using the tax credit program are required to lease to tenants making 60 percent or less of the area's median income.
Metro on 05/06/2017