Flood leaves SOS in distress

Greg Risling

WEST SIDE -- The puddle of water inside the Share Our Shelves office

Tuesday was more than just a temporary problem. It meant the unfortunate

who rely on the social service agency will be forced to go without until

the center reopens.

An old, galvanized pipe burst Tuesday morning, creating a water hazard at

the agency’s headquarters on Superior Avenue. Two inches of water

filtered into the hallways and office space inside, causing officials to

close the center Tuesday.

The center will reopen the emergency services department to the public

today, but the medical and dental clinic will be shut down until Friday.

The accident forced workers to close the agency as they mopped up the

excess water. Those waiting outside to receive help were either turned

away or had their appointments rescheduled.

Executive Director Karen McGlinn said closing the center one day can make

a big difference in their clients’ lives.

“They understood what happened, but when something happens to us, our

clients get worried,” she said. “We are their safety net. When the county

can’t provide, we pick up the slack.”

The leak was discovered by an agency worker around 7 a.m. A pipe had

broken severely, allowing water to slowly flow into the building. Workers

were forced to shut off the main valve, which kept the center from

receiving any water.

“We can’t run our dental clinic without any water,” McGlinn said. “We

received 50 new applications to use our dental clinic on Tuesday alone.

The timing of this wasn’t good.”

McGlinn estimates about 70 people won’t receive service because both of

the clinics will be closed. However, people can still drop off donations

over the next two days. A toy drive scheduled for Saturday is still on,

officials said.

Although there was minimal damage to equipment inside the building, the

accident did have a substantial effect on those who frequent the center.

“I guess I will have to go elsewhere for the next couple of days,” said

Jeff, who asked that his last name not be used.

Jeff is homeless and pushes around a shopping cart containing his few

belongings.

“They have been so wonderful over here and such a valuable resource for

people like me,” he said. “Things like this will happen and you just have

to deal with it.”