Chippington III
The deadly late-season tornado outbreak that tore through the Southeast Dec. 10 and 11 damaged LHP properties in Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, but fortunately no residents or employees were injured. Sadly, that was not the case in other areas. More than 85 people died as a result of the tornadoes, the deadliest on record in December.
Properties that suffered damage from the storm included Hickory Hollow, Imperial Garden, Colony Square and Southside Manor in Tennessee and Indian Ridge and Madison Towers in Kentucky. At White River Apartments in Arkansas, one building’s roof was blown off and many of the AC units were blown over and damaged.
At every property, staff responded quickly to help their residents displaced by the storm and secure the buildings. Staff from nearby LHP properties that did not suffer storm damage also showed up over the weekend to help, says Andy Brinkman, SVP, Property Management.
“Everyone pitched in,” says Andy. “I am very proud of how quickly our teams responded at all the properties hit by the storm.”
In Nashville, many properties lost power and had to rely on emergency generator power for several days. With a renovation underway, Chippington III was the hardest hit. The storm downed numerous power and light poles and strew new roofing material across the grounds and into the streets. Downed trees and debris damaged several parked cars and mechanical equipment was blown off the roof of one tower.
“When I got to the property at around 4:30 a.m., Brian Rice, Jay DeWalt and Dominic Simms were already on-site checking out everything on the property and making sure that the residents and the buildings were okay,” says Justin Lawson, Director of Maintenance. “All of the guys went above and beyond the call of duty and showed how much they love the residents and the property.”
With the power out for nearly five days at Chippington, the staff reached out to the Salvation Army and Dreamers Food Truck to assist in providing hot meals for the residents. Chippington Community Manager Moe Perry praised the staff for their tremendous teamwork, adding “we are thankful all our residents are safe and healthy.”
With year two of the pandemic, 2021 was already a very challenging year for LHP’s property management staff and other employees. December’s tornado storm may have felt like a sucker punch. But staff stepped up and again went the extra mile for the residents and their communities. That spirit of resilience and commitment is what powers LHP’s success.
In 2022 we’ll continue to work under pandemic constraints and there will be new adversities. For now, thank you for the dedication, talent, hard work, many contributions and extraordinary service you bring to LHP every day.
