GRF President’s Column-Staff helps LWers brave storm
by Linda Herman
GRF President
The storm in the early morning hours of Feb. 18 — complete with thunder, lightning, hail, wind, and heavy rain—led me to say thank you to both the GRF Security and Service Maintenance departments.
Security is the first point of contact in the middle of the night.
They listen to residents who call and direct each situation to the appropriate department, often Service Maintenance.
During the storm, I could imagine Service Maintenance out there in the wind and rain, putting plastic on the roof of a leaking unit.
That inspired me to send a personal thank you to both departments. We are fortunate to have such dedicated service.
Imagine your own home outside the walls—who would come out at a moment’s notice to provide that kind of care?
That morning was a reminder that what we see during a storm is what staff do every day—respond, adapt and take care of this community without hesitation.
Security and Service Maintenance staffers may be the first faces we notice in an emergency, but they are part of a much larger team that keeps this community running smoothly.
Recreation sets up rooms before most of us are awake. Transportation helps residents get where they need to go. Custodial keeps our buildings safe and clean. IT keeps our systems functioning. Finance, HR and Administration support every department behind the scenes. Every one of them plays a role in the quality of life we enjoy here.
As president, I have the privilege of seeing the work behind the scenes—the preparation, the teamwork, and the problem-solving.
It has given me deep respect for the people who show up every day with professionalism and patience, even when the job is not easy.
To every member of our GRF staff — thank you. You make this community stronger, safer, and better every day.
Editor’s note: According to Service Maintenance Director Ruben Gonzalez, Service Maintenance workers prepared for the storm by adhering to its No. 1 priority: keeping community storm drains unclogged so water can flow easily into the culvert.
That night, staff also responded to many calls of roof leaks by spreading tarps and placing sandbags to keep the blustery winds from carrying away the coverings. Plus staff was busy unclogging main line stoppages.
The wind was so strong, it toppled the yellow podium that controls the left lane barrier at the Main Gate, rendering it inoperable.
IT and Service Maintenance staff made repairs. Service was restored by about 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 18.
Phone service also was temporarily knocked out.
Mutual 1 had a partial power outage. Edison was alerted to sparking wires just outside Leisure World near the Service Maintenance yard.
The Security building remained operable as there is an emergency power generator at the Main Gate, which automatically starts when power is lost.
Most importantly of all, there were no reported injuries resulting from the storm wind on Feb. 18, according to GRF Security reports.
