Four months after being evacuated due to rising floodwaters, the residents and staff of Premier Estates of Pierce still can't move back home. In the meantime, the group has stayed at the Norfolk Care and Rehab Center. Premier Estates of Pierce Administrator Christian Koenig said they were very fortunate the building was open. 

"We've been blessed that this facility was open and available for us to bring our residents to," Koenig said.

The residents and staff had to spend two days and nights at the Pierce Auditorium before moving to Norfolk because roads were impassable and Premier Estates was inundated with between 12 and 16 inches of water, according to Koenig. Although moving so fast, especially under the circumstances, can be stressful, Koenig said he feels the residents handled everything very well. 

"The residents have been amazing with how well they've gotten along with each other," Koenig said. "Especially after those 48 hours in that civic auditorium. I mean, nobody had their own room. Everyone was in one big giant room." 

Having a facility like Norfolk Care and Rehab open to them has not only allowed the residents to stay close to home. It's also let the same staff to care them. Koenig said that's been crucial to help residents adjust to the changes. 

"It's not just that they know these residents because they work in the same building, but they're from the same community, the same town," Koenig said.

Koenig commended the work his staff has done to help the residents even as they recover from the flood themselves. 

"They took care of those residents because those residents needed taking care of although they had crises going on in their own lives," Koenig said. "I will take the staff and employees of Premier Estates of Pierce everyday of the week and twice on Sunday."

Koenig said the they hope to move back to Pierce by the end of the summer.