RICHMOND, Va. – Many Northside homes and trees were destroyed after a June storm thundered through Richmond, and in some cases, the evidence remains, months later.
Not so for Rosie Woods, an elderly woman who lives off of Hazelhurst Avenue. She relies on a cane to walk around, but can’t out front of her house –where the sidewalk crumbled under the weight of a fallen tree.
Four months later, the big hole is filled in with dirt and a chunk of the sidewalk missing.
CBS 6 Problem Solvers spoke directly with Bobby Vincent, the Dep. Director for Public Works in the City.
The tree left the sidewalk a mess
He said the city is still dealing with hundreds of other scenes like this; places with crumbling sidewalks and curbs. He also they were faced with more than 3,000 bulk and brush requests in the past four months or so and that number is now down to 1,600.
That’s not something that really makes Woods feel better.
Mrs. Woods is worried about her safety navigating after the sidewalk was destroyed.
“It looks bad. It's terrible. I never know if more rain will make it open up,” she said. “Somebody might fall and get hurt. Might even be me. I hope and pray it doesn't happen to me.”
Vincent said that residents whose age or ability may limit their mobility should contact the department.
“We'll do our best to take care of it,” Vincent said. “Like here, we are going to take care of this location today with some temporary asphalt.”
“It's not a permanent repair, but it is a repair that will enable her to transport across the terrain a little bit easier,” he added.
As for the sidewalks citywide, Vincent said they plan on making repairs in one large contract and hope to get them all done by the spring.
The city asks neighbors to have patience as they try to get to all of the repairs done.
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