River Bend: One Year After the Floods

March 30, 2010 came in torrents, waves of water and debris for Kim Rose, owner of in Wakefield.

 “I remember it was raining that day and I was supposed to go to the NIT (National Invitational Tournament) in New York because URI was playing. I had a limo booked and my dad, my sister were coming.” Knowing the rivers were rising around her building, with parking spaces already under water, she asked, “Dad, can we go?” Kim already knew the answer. He shook his head no.

 There are three rivers that converge around her business, which sits on Columbia Street in a flat low-lying area, with the building seemingly high and dominant over the slow-running water on its outskirts. An access bridge, piped in red, hovers over the river, allowing automobile and pedestrian traffic to cross onto the parcel of land that was engulfed in sludge and water last March.

"I was at home," said Kim. "I heard the rain coming and coming. I knew I had to go. I got in my car, in my pajamas, and drove down to the club. I let myself in and went downstairs.”

Describing the scene, Kim likens the sound of water and air pockets beneath the floor to that of clams on the beach. “I could hear the air bubbles underneath.” She speaks softly, quietly reliving the unnerving experience as she remembers. 

“Here it comes,”  she remembered thinking.

Aware that she wouldn’t be able to move the machines alone,  she stored some paperwork and called for help. “I called my brother and I called (my son). They came in and we moved some equipment upstairs. It was 2 a.m. We moved what we could and then went home.”

Returning the next day around noon, they found the bridge and parking lot completely submersed in water. The river had engulfed the building, water climbing high along the foundation. They had to park up the road and wade in from an adjacent lot.

“We were downstairs. We put our feet in the cold water. It was about (nine) inches high. We only had (nine) inches. It was amazing,” Kim reflected.

 The water had come up from the ground first. The initial flooding was from the ground saturation. There was an additional breach from the side doors to the lower level, which sat on the parking lot. The doors held and they were fortunate, more fortunate than others in the area, as Kim, a life-long resident of Wakefield, acknowledged many times.

The insurance company was called and within several hours, a specialty restoration company was on site initializing the drying process in an attempt to curb the inevitable growth of mold and mildew.

Kim wanted to save her floors. The courts, racquetball, squash and basketball, were all hardwood. The studio floors were submerged. She knew that there was a chance they wouldn’t be salvaged and in just six days time, she was given the news. The floors would have to come up. Every inch of carpeting downstairs, every tile, every square inch of flooring had to go.

The staff dove in, cutting the flooring in sheets and removing it piece by piece. “Eight construction dumpsters were filled with the debris. "I get upset just thinking about it,” Kim reflected. “Thirty-one years. I started the business when I got out of college with my dad and it was under water. It was only nine inches of water, but when you try to slosh through, it’s a lot.”

Every piece of equipment had to be moved, cleaned, dried and sanitized. The majority of machines were saved, the consoles sitting above the water line, but the damage was overwhelming.

The club was closed for just five weeks, but the emotional and financial toll was great. “The concrete pad had to dry out before we could do anything. The majority of the time was waiting for it to dry. The ground underneath was saturated, so we waited.”

Kim’s support came from her family, staff and clients. “Clients showed up and chipped in. My staff came in and helped, every one of them. There were long hours. I was worried about them. I had over 40 staff members out of work. The YMCA offered my clients a place to work out for a few weeks. I was extremely thankful for that gesture.”

Upstairs, they had a place where they could work, a little piece of salvation, untouched by the rivers and rain. Kim’s yoga studio, where she finds peace, remained unscathed. Standing in the room, cloaked in soft, soothing colors, Kim relaxed. “This is my favorite room. If it had gone, if the water had reached here, I may have just said good-bye.”

One year later, clients have returned, the courts have been restored, classes resumed and music plays once again at River Bend.

In October, the SK Chamber of Commerce awarded Kim with the for her committment to reviving her flooded business. Kim said she was proud to be honored.

"I got a call from the Chamber," said Kim. "Joe said 'you won the Perseverence Award.' I was a little choked up that my chamber had thought of me. It was a good feeling."

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