New homes for slide victims

With a crew of some 20 professional and volunteer construction

workers coming together over the weekend to renovate new homes for

landslide victims, John Stevens counted Saturday as day number 123

since losing his Bluebird Canyon home.

Stevens, his wife Diane and their children Hayley, 15, and Luc,

11, are among four displaced families who will be moving into

trailers located on a Canyon Acres lot donated by Phyllis Kern

Phillips.

The other families planning to move in are Tripp and Laurel

Meister and their children Hailey and Ty, Steve Howard and his

daughter Breanna, and Lori Herek.

The trailers have been donated by the state and will serve as

temporary quarters.

They were in need of decks and interior furnishings such as

carpets and bathroom tiles.

As workers cut, measured and painted wood for a new deck, John was

not sure when his trailer would be finished, but he felt he was

receiving all the resources needed.

Since the disaster, which left 16 families homeless, the Steven

family has not gotten used to the idea of storing personal belongings

in plastic containers.

“We’re kind of excited to have a place to call home,” John said.

“We’re looking forward to getting desks and computers set up for

the kids,” Diane said.

Luc and Hayley are happy they will be getting their own rooms.

“This has been a learning experience,” John Stevens said. “We

don’t take things for granted anymore. The kids are appreciative of

the help; they’ve seen people step up to the plate and deliver, and

not for monetary reasons.”

At about 1,400 square feet, the space is considerably smaller than

their home that was destroyed.

“I’ve met a lot of great people through this experience. People

I’ve seen in town for years that were once strangers are now friends

of mine,” John Stevens said.

The Stevens family would like their destroyed property on Flamingo

Road rebuilt.

“Knowing we have the support that we do is empowering,” John

Stevens said. “It’s going to be good.”

On the other side of the Canyon Acres lot, Tripp and Laurel

Meister and children Hailey, 5, and Ty, 2, have been frustrated as

they wait for their trailer to be renovated.

Tripp sees the donated trailer as “a free place to live until we

get back in our home.”

Laguna residents for two years, the couple believes themselves

fortunate to live in a town supportive of their crisis.

“The city couldn’t have done better,” Tripp said.

Despite the difficulties in moving into temporary housing and

losing access to personal possessions, Laurel felt getting into an

established routine was important.

“Lots of firsts for the year. First year as an artist at the

Sawdust Festival, first year in public school for Hailey, and first

time hit by a landslide,” she said. “I think we’re official Lagunans

now.”

Expecting a stay of four to six months in their trailer, the

Meisters look forward to rebuilding on their Bluebird Canyon

property.

“We don’t know what we have to do yet; it’s been really hard,”

Tripp said. “I’m scared to death we’ll come up short somewhere.”

The City’s Adopt-a-Landslide-Family campaign, which has

orchestrated efforts in aiding the victims, is hopeful the families

will stay until they can return to their homes, said co-chairwoman

Anne Johnson.

“The committee as a whole is very concerned that the 16 families

have lost everything. We want people to remember they still need

help,” Johnson said.