Achievement+ Perspective+ Perseverance

WEST SIDE ALLIANCE

SOCCER CLUB

THE SIDE UPDATE FLOOD 19 May 25

THE SIDE UPDATE FLOOD 19 May 25

THE SIDE UPDATE: May 25, 9:00 PM


The Side has begun with action plans for the coming weeks.  Please see below for some recent updates and development of an action plan. 

PRAY - PROTECT OUR HOUSE - INFORM OUR PEOPLE - ADAPT TO TODAY 
SERVE OUR COMMUNITY - REBUILD THE SIDE - PLAY THE GAME WE LOVE - PRAY 


PRAY

For every heart shall be transformed by a simple prayer and every perspective shifted to proper priority. 

PROTECT OUR HOUSE 

Removed and protected every valuable asset through the labor of many and provision of time afforded us to execute massive evacuations and relocations (RiverCity, West Bank all evacuated to 80%, Skiatook SC evacuated all but a mower and some field equipment, and Ft Gibson evacuated most of it's equipment).  Turned off power to preserve transformers in hopes of preserving and restoring field lighting post flood.  Removed appliances from concessions and clubhouses. Goals, mowers, light carts, corner flags, tents, merchandise, office furniture, all stored to higher location or off campus. 

Remain vigilant at all locations, and ready to respond to changing circumstances. Currently we monitor feedback provided by City of Tulsa.  Through early stages of emergency we had monitored feedback provided by our super hero Park Directors, Mr Matt Meyers at RiverParks Authority and Mr Jeff Edwards at Sand Springs Parks. 

Today, May 25, we began to stake areas of encroaching flood water to create a method of measuring the rate of encroachment. River water is being added to West Bank at an approximate and astonishing rate of 2,500 gallons per minute (amateur calculation by Roger) through a malfunctioning storm water drain that is "back" flowing into the south quad of the facility.   We will continue to evaluate on 12-hour intervals and possibly more frequently to determine if trenching and/or pumping becomes a feasible option to slow the rate of encroaching water towards the north end fo the facilty where the club's Ken Lovelee Clubhouse resides (the clubhouse was evacuated on Thursday).  Please be prepared for an all-call if this decision is deemed feasible. 

Responded wihtin 15 minutes on Thursday evening, and then assisted in ways we knew how with initiating a rebuild of the weakened levee along the west bank of the Arkansas River that borders our West Bank Sports Complex training facility.  Sacrificed our facility's fencing, field space, and parking lot for a construction crew to build an emergency site to reinforce the current levee.  This effort appears to have succesfully protected, for the time being, the neighborhood due West of West Bank Sports Complex as well as our faclity.  

Alert, inform, and move to safety our greatest treasures, our future, our children.  Close facilities in spite of the urge and desire to train and play on, to afford proper caution to all.  

INFORM OUR PEOPLE 

Keep the membership informed of what we know, leveraging our information as a large bodied organization that resides many campuses (over 100 acres) along Oklahoma's river system, and sometimes has privileged access to information about the River.  

Inform our people of the latest forecast for facilities, how to help, and upcoming schedule revisions. 

West Bank, RiverCity and Ft Gibson are all closed indefinitely.  We believe Skiatook SC will reoopen this week. South Park, T Town, Tahlequah, and Wright Park appear to be functional and playable now.  The OKC facilities are currently also playable. 

We are still hopeful West Bank can return in June but will know more by Tuesday.  We believe RiverCity's return will be targeted for mid-August for the opening weekend of league play for Fall 2019.  All of these are speculative forecasts that can change per information we are not privy to, and also unpredictable weather. 

Assemble our people as The Side into a strong work force to impact change for good.  All-Call and "all hands on deck" actions have proven extremely helpful and beneficial in recent days. 

ADAPT TO TODAY 

Adapt our operations to the lost training space, game fields, clubhouses, and potentially lost assets. 

Adapt our plans for modified execution (i.e. reopen Club Store online - news next week, using club leaders homes as central location, revamp club uniform order and dispersal process without access to clubhouse - news shared on Sunday, relocate Summer Camps and training - in process now).  

Locate and reschedule team training sessions for State Cup prep week and also Tryout Week (in process now - field schedule with new fields unaffected by the flood being built and should be available for booking beginning Sunday, May 26). 

Modify plans for State Cup, moving event from Indian Springs in Broken Arrow to Titan in Tulsa, for next weekend May 31 - June 2.  The tournament will go on. 

SERVE OUR COMMUNITY 

Assemble our coaching staff into a call-tree of teams to help with the flood aftermath.  To be released Sunday, May 26 or Monday, May 27th.  WSA teams will offer service to those in need as a "soccer team" for 2-4 hour shifts of moving, cleaning, or any type of suppport needed that able bodied young people that play for WSA can provide.  Stay tuned. 

REBUILD THE SIDE 

Evaluate the timeline for flood waters to reside, and design contingency plans for mobilizing an "all-call" of "all hands on deck" to remove debris, unpack and return valuables and restore operations.  

Raise funds to re purchase lost assets.  Evaluation has begun of total damages and will finalize after we can return to facilities and assess damages. 

Develop a task list to restore fields, recover or rebuild structures and modify summer schedule. 

Develop "all-call" task force schedules of facility clean-up and rebuild efforts at RiverCity, Skiatook SC, Ft Gibson SC, and West Bank.  These are expected to begin being released at the end of next week, proximate to June 1-4.

Continue our pathway of great servitude, premier soccer, and life changing friendships and relationships. 

PLAY THE GAME WE LOVE 

The game is bigger than us. It will prove bigger than this trial, and the game will prevail.   Mother Nature in Her infinite force we have faith will demonstrate Her restoring and healing capability in miraculous ways shortly.  

And once again.... we will play.  

PRAY

The heart is transformed by even this simple prayer - "Thank you".