Woodbury association will host benefit for storm victims

Oct. 1 benefit at Earl Reservoir seeks to help almost 30 families still displaced by Irene’s flood waters HIGHLAND MILLS — It’s an understatement to say Rowena Benjamin’s home isn’t what it used to be. Before Tropical Storm Irene blasted the area with almost 12 inches of rain three weeks ago, the 77-year-old Highland Mills woman lived in a pristine mobile home with her beloved cat, Meow. But now, the stench of mildew greets visitors as they near the broken front window. There’s nothing useful left in her green-shuttered residence on Violet Drive. Looking inside, remnants of a great-grandmother’s home lay on the floor, looking like dirty and unloved toys tossed aside by ungrateful children. Except they’re not. Kitchen utensils. Containers of food. A television. An open tool box. Filthy clothing. Assorted items of all kinds. That’s just for starters. There’s mud everywhere. Water marks in seemingly unexpected places. Possessions in parts of Benjamin’s house that shouldn’t be where they are, all caused by the rapid rush of water that flowed through her home and destroying nearly everything she owned. Three things factored into the flooding of Benjamin’s home that Sunday morning: The historical rainfall and the related overflow of the both retention pond in front of her house and of the Woodbury Creek which winds around her development. She’s now homeless. And Benjamin’s not the only one in need of help. To assist almost 30 Woodbury residents who are still displaced from their homes, the Woodbury Community Association will host a fund raiser on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Earl Reservoir. Organizers are still putting together the final touches for the event, but said there will be barbecue food and live music, among other entertainment. All proceeds will benefit the storm’s homeless victims. Currents “My son took me out the night before because it has flooded once before but only up to my deck,” said Benjamin. “Thank God I took all my medicines. But I only took one outfit to change into. I never expected anything like this. I expected to come home the next day.” She didn’t. Four feet of water took over the inside of Benjamin’s mobile home, with its currents displacing the home’s contents as if the water were in a horrid rage. “After it (the rain) stopped, he (her son) went down (to the house),” she said. “It was up to my son’s chest. The refrigerator was floating around the kitchen. My month-old furniture was destroyed. He came back and he was crying. He said, 'Mom, you lost everything. It’s totally filled with water and mud.’” Some items were spared. “I salvaged some of the clothes that were stored higher,” said Benjamin. “I was lucky enough to salvage photos on the wall. My angel collection was safe. We couldn’t find my cat for three days, but when we went back inside and she heard my voice, she came down from the top of the cabinets. She has always slept with me on my bed at night.” But some items didn’t make it. “I lost all the photos of my children when they were babies,” she said crying. From 4:30 to 8 a.m. Also losing her children’s photos was Laura Wickware, who lives down the road on Lilly Court, but for the last three weeks has been living at the American Budget Inn in Harriman. Between them, she and husband Ken have five children, but only three of her children live with them: Jennifer Urrego, a BOCES student; Samantha Urrego, who attends Monroe-Woodbury High School; and Haley Jones, who attends Smith Clove Elementary in Central Valley. “At 4:30 a.m. (Sunday), the water was fine,” she said. “By 8 a.m. it was up to the second step. All of a sudden, time lapsed for me; it was halfway up to the vehicles. My neighbor called us to get out. We called for help. They took my five-year-old out of the front window in a front loader.” The next day, she and husband Ken - a custodian at Sapphire Elementary School in Harriman - attempted to return to the house, but to no avail. “You think in your mind that the water hasn’t gotten into your house, but there was water everywhere,” said Laura Wickware. “Everything was all over the place. But when it really got to me was when I found my Tupperware, from under my bed, with all my kids’ baby pictures in them. I was holding onto those photos to give them to my kids of them and their father from when they were little. They were totally ruined. That’s when it got to me. I had lost everything.” The Wickwares are newlyweds, just married this past July. But Ken Wickware has lived in that home for 18 years. “We have had floods before, but nothing like this,” he said, showing a visitor the mildewed inside of their home on Tuesday. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Ken Wickware pointed out the watermarks on the walls as Laura spoke about the year old appliances that were trashed. The carpeting, she noted, is supposed to be a rose color, not the dark chocolate mud color that now covers the floor. The Wickwares did have flood insurance until the policy’s renewal came up and their carrier told them it no longer offers flood insurance for mobile homes. They were in the process of finding a new insurance company. The flood happened during their gap in coverage. Adding to their challenges is that their home can no longer be lived in, and because they own the home - but rent the land - they are responsible for paying to move the home out of the development. “It’s uninhabitable,” said Wickware. “It will cost more to fix it than keep it. If someone knows how to do carpentry and wants it, they can have it.” 'Catch-22’ But Michelle Valente, who lives on Lilly Court with Wickware, wants to fix her home, and move back in as quickly as possible. “We’re all over the place,” said Valente, who is living in the same Harriman motel with her husband Sanguino and children Frankie and Sarah, both seniors at Monroe-Woodbury High School; Ida, a freshman; and Vinnie, a sophomore. “There’s been a lot of tears. There is no accommodation like home. Hopefully it won’t be much longer for any of us.” Valente’s sons are now staying with her sister in Highland Mills to help relieve the family’s tension. “My boys are now in my sister’s basement.” She said. “Everyone is getting on everyone’s nerves. It puts a lot of stress on the family. The kids are embarrassed to come back to the motel in a (school) bus.” Like Benjamin and Wickware, Valente’s most cherished possessions were also lost in the flood. “The biggest thing is the pictures,” she said quietly. “My husband tells me it’s okay, we have the memories. But I tell him it’s not the same.” Now, they attempt to be patient as the bureaucratic red tape continues. Orange &Rockland has turned off the electric, so workmen can’t come in to begin repairs. “I did have flood insurance but they fight you on everything,” said Valente. “There has to be 80 percent worth of damage for it to be considered a total loss. The more you have your house insured, the more difficult it becomes. It’s a Catch-22. And the workers said they have to wait until the electric comes back to work. They consider it a fire hazard otherwise. I’d like to push it (the mobile home) off into a river somewhere. It’s just so overwhelming.” But she’s committed to returning to Lilly Court. “I’m trying to fix mine up so I can go home at some point,” said Valente, who works in the food services department at Monroe-Woodbury High School. “I want to go home and I want to start fresh. I know we’ll get there. It’s just getting there.” Benjamin, who rents her home, will be looking for a new place to live. “I guess I have to start over,” she said. “I’m handicapped, and I’m about ready for a wheelchair I think. But I’d like to find a place of my own. I’m not ready to live with my son. I like my independence. I need my own place.” 'Highland Mills really cares’ All three women expressed gratitude to all who helped them, with all recognizing Woodbury Town Councilman James Skoufis for his ongoing efforts and Jay’s Deli in Highland Mills for food. There are many others, they all added, with so many names. “I didn’t realize that so were so many people who cared,” said Valente. Wickware agreed, adding: “Kindness actually exists. It tells you there are people out there who really care. We are lucky to have friends and people who didn’t even know us come and help us. Highland Mills really cares.” I lost all the photos of my children when they were babies.” Rowena Benjamin “But when it really got to me was when I found my Tupperware, from under my bed, with all my kids’ baby pictures in them. I was holding onto those photos to give them to my kids of them and their father from when they were little. They were totally ruined. That’s when it got to me. I had lost everything.” Laura Wickware If you go The Woodbury Community Association’s fund raiser to benefit the displaced residents affected by Tropical Storm Irene will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Earl Reservoir in Highland Mills. There is no minimum contribution. Organizers ask that people give what they can at the gate to help their neighbors. All proceeds will go to the Woodbury victims of the storm. Plans are being finalized but the event will include barbecue food, live music and other entertainment. To send a donation, checks can be made payable to the Woodbury Community Association, and mailed to P.O. Box 469, Central Valley, N.Y. 10917. To learn more, contact Tom Bompensiero, Woodbury Community Association president, at 928-2384.