Chickadee School Flood Recovery

On June 13, our community and region experienced unprecedented levels of flooding, causing wide-spread infrastructure damage and the displacement of many from their homes, as well as hospital, animal shelter, and business evacuations.

 

Amongst the devastating destruction, Livingston’s long-adored and quaint Chickadee Montessori School and the adjoining home of teacher/owner, Celeste Mascari, suffered extensive damage, forcing the school to be closed indefinitely, and displacing Celeste from her home.

 

Around mid-day on the 13th, Celeste notified the families of Chickadee that an evacuation order had been issued to the school. In a matter of hours after the children had evacuated, the water rose to just feet from the school. Despite volunteer efforts, sandbags surrounding the perimeter were no match for the rising flood and bubbling groundwater that continued to rise through the night. By the next morning, after the crest of the flood, the main floor of the school had 2 feet of standing water and 6+ feet of water in the basement.

 

Per the local restoration company, extensive resources and efforts will be needed to bring the building back to a safe and healthy environment for the children. In addition to the structure, there were many classroom resources, materials, shelving, and furniture damages. As mentioned, due to health and safety, much of these things will not be salvageable.  If the damage to the school wasn’t heartbreaking enough, the flood has made Celeste’s home unlivable in its current conditions and she is displaced with no long-term housing in place. 

 

Please show your generous support to our community’s incredibly deserving, respected, and loved neighbor, friend, and teacher.

 

With deep gratitude for your love and support,

 

The Chickadee Community

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National news story: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw0VVZEaOSQ&feature=youtu.be