RHA Health Services provides a full range of residential options for people with disabilities in the Chattanooga area. They have several homes in the East Brainerd area that provide semi-independent living services for mentally challenged adults. The residents learn how to prepare meals, manage money, go shopping, and take care of themselves. In a safe, healthy environment that closely mirrors a mainstream experience, they develop basic skills and build interpersonal, social relationships with their neighbors.
On the night of April 12, their way of life was threatened when category three tornados with 145 mph winds devastated the area. The storms caused millions of dollars in damages. Several RHA houses were hit and were among the thousands of homes without power. Thankfully, no one was physically harmed, but the situation certainly added to the anxieties that RHA residents were experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hearing that best estimates to restore power would be a week to a week and a half, Jamie Hughes, knew she had to act. As Coast 2 Coast IT Manager, Jamie is well known to be our go-to problem solver. She began by searching for a generator and quickly discovered that they were all sold-out in Chattanooga. She found the closest generators available for sale were in Nashville. She was ready to make the two and a half-hour drive but, then she remembered seeing one in the Coast 2 Coast storage room.
