Mid-Hudson Civic Center still helping displaced apartment residents

When an electrical fire forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents of the Rip Van Winkle Apartments in the City of Poughkeepsie late last month, many were housed at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center.

On Friday, community leaders gathered to tout the success of the instant relief effort that provided shelter and food for some 300 residents of the apartment building.

Civic Center Board Chairman Michael McCormick said the beauty of having the civic center in Poughkeepsie is that it can act as a shelter.

“There was no place for these people to go and they had to be protected from the elements and the civic center was there to do that,” McCormick said.

Civic Center President Danielle Anderson coordinated the effort that involved the Red Cross and several other agencies and businesses.

Anderson and her staff responded immediately to clear the arena floor so that cots could be set up. State Senator Sue Serino assisted by contacting the Holiday Inn Express in Poughkeepsie to arrange for blankets and pillows, many of which the senator personally delivered.

Meals were provided by several local businesses in-

cluding the Dunkin Donuts directly across the street. Drinking water was provided by HealthQuest.

A portable shower unit was placed directly adjacent to the civic center and laundry was picked up, washed, and returned by ServiceMaster.

Mayor Robert Rolison called the Mid-Hudson Civic Center “a tremendous asset to this city” as he explained that the city was a much tighter community during the ordeal.

Roughly half of the Rip Van Winkle residents have been allowed to return to their homes after seven days at the civic center, the others have been placed in hotels for the time being.