Last Christmas, more than 80 residents at the Magnolia Senior Apartments on Beatties Ford Road were displaced after a ruptured pipe flooded the complex. Since then, the residents have been constantly on the move and living in various hotels. The residents are moving again — this time to a familiar neighborhood.
On Wednesday, Bettie Roddey waited inside a hotel lobby in Huntersville with a bright smile, watching people check in and out. Roddey was checking out — for good. It’s the third hotel she’s lived in since Christmas. Earlier this week, a group of more than 30 seniors were told they could finally return home to the Magnolia Senior Apartments.
Roddey recalled her reaction when she found out the news.
“I was laying on the bed, I got the email, I jumped up and shouted for joy, ‘I’m going home, I’m going home,’” Roddey said.
About 14 seniors have been staying in a hotel in Huntersville, while others have been with family members and at various other hotels. Another group of seniors moved back into the apartments over the summer, into parts of the building that weren’t as badly damaged. Despite the news that she was finally going home, the last few months have been tough for Roddey, who has had to deal with family and health challenges.
“I had a lot going on with me. I buried my son in April, and then I had two mini-strokes,” Roddey said. “It’s just been challenging, but I made it. By the grace of God, I made it.”
Roddey drove about 20 minutes from the Huntersville hotel to her home at the Magnolia Senior Apartments on Beatties Ford Road. Her neighbor Rose Potter was waiting there, pleased to be finally home.
“I’m very happy, very happy,” Potter said. “The worst is over; now we're back home. Thank you, God.”
Janie McCain walked around the building's first floor, embracing the seniors as they returned. McCain moved back into the apartment over the summer. McCain says she is delighted to see the other residents back in the building.
“I’m glad that they’re out of the hotel and they’re able to come back home,” McCain said. “And to see the smile on their faces, I’m very happy for them.”
Outside the building, Janette Kinard played a gospel song in the parking lot while chatting with some seniors. Kinard is the executive director of Champion House of Care, one of the organizations supporting seniors throughout this process. Along with other nonprofits and the city of Charlotte, they’ve helped with living expenses, moving and errands such as taking trips to the doctor. Kinard said she used music to keep the spirit high when around the seniors.
“I had the privilege of taking about 12 seniors to church every Sunday. And when they would get on my bus, we would always play the song 'going to live to see it happen,’” Kinard said. “I told them when we make it back, ‘I’m going to play this song’ because we’ve made it through it. This has been a journey.”
As the seniors start moving back into their apartments, Kinard says many of them still need basic living essentials, as many of them had their items damaged because of the ruptured pipe that flooded the complex.
“Right now, the seniors need beds; they need couches; they need dining room tables and chairs,” Kinard said. “Microwaves, coffee makers, whatever you think you may need to survive on right now, they need those things.”
More seniors plan to return to the apartment over the next few days. Once settled, Kinard intends to host a gathering to celebrate the seniors' journey and resilience over the last several months — with some more gospel music as the soundtrack.
