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by William Mulch, Major –
Above: The damage at the Henderson, Nevada Adult Day Care Center. Inset shows how the Center looked three days later after crews worked round the clock to repair the facility. |
Horror turned to tears as, three days before Easter, employees entered one by one to observe the damage caused by vandals at the Army’s adult day care facility in Henderson, Nevada. It seemed that all they had worked for to make this a good place now lay in shambles.
One of a very few of its kind operated by The Salvation Army in the Western Territory, the center fills a need for those who wish to keep a loved one at home, yet must be out of the home during the day. Adults needing daytime care including the developmentally disabled, Alzheimer’s, and trauma-induced disabilities—count on this place every day, and benefit from the therapeutic program that enhances their living skills.
This writer has serviced tornados, floods, and earthquakes but has never seen such total wanton destruction contained in four walls. Plate glass windows were broken, paint poured and squirted on walls, carpets, and ceilings. All computers were trashed, all TVs and VCRs were trashed, and all food was taken from all sources and dumped on the floors. Glass from windows, all the dishes from every cupboard, and picture frames totally permeated the carpets. Human excrement, nail polish, and coffee grounds were also part of the mix. Chairs and tables were overturned and broken, recliners had their backs broken, and every desk with locks unlocked or easily broken locks had their contents strewn over the entire area.
The hallway to the chapel side of the building and the chapel were only minimally damaged, but even there broken glass was a problem.
The three-day resurrection started within the hour; before police reports were finished the adjustment service was on hand. Custard Claims and risk management represented by Melvena Trower-Rapp, and Har-Bro Construction with Glen Holmes as project manager said we would be open Monday morning. Hard to believe.
It happened…by Friday evening the trash had been cleared away. On Saturday, the paint crews completed painting and on Sunday, the glass-filled carpet and deteriorated tile underneath had been cleared away and carpet was installed by midnight. Carpet crews then moved usable furniture back in place. The all-night crew, under the direction of Bill Sampson, the center director, was leaving the building as the day crew was arriving to greet clients.
Certainly not the three-day miracle of the resurrected Lord but the miracle of his resurrection was not lost on those who participated or observed this three-day resurrection.
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