Photo by Joselyn King Clean up at the Woodview Senior Living Facility in Bethlehem continues following torrential rain and flooding there last week.

BETHLEHEM — Senior citizens living in seven apartments at the Woodview Senior Living Facility in Bethlehem are now without a place to live following torrential rains and flooding in Bethlehem last week.

Clean up continued there on Monday, with outside help and volunteers coming in to assist owner Roger Kent. The apartments are located on the ground floor behind the Char House in what used to be Ernie’s Esquire Supper Club.

Kent said the main drain along East Bethlehem Boulevard — located just above the building — clogged during Thursday’s heavy rainfall, and sent water into the facility’s parking lot and ground floor apartments. Water also came cascading off the hillside that surrounds the property.

East Bethlehem Boulevard was closed for an extended period Thursday evening during and after the rainfall, as water from the clogged drain flowed over the roadway and made travel difficult.

The residents displaced went to live with families or are staying in local hotels while their apartments are restored, he said.

Kent estimates it will be a month before the apartments will be habitable.

“We’ve just been getting them all cleaned out,” he said. “We’ve had numerous volunteers I was thankful for — numerous churches, friends, families and everybody have been pitching in.”

Damaged drywall, appliances, furniture and other items from the affected apartments had to be removed and sat in a pile in the parking lot.

Kent estimates there have been as many as 70 volunteers helping out since Friday, and that trucks will start to remove the debris beginning on Tuesday. Members of Ohio Valley Mutual Aid and others helped with much of the initial work.

Among those assisting in the clearing out of the apartments were five inmates from the Ohio County Correctional Center, according to Richard Beisner.

They arrived Monday morning and it was their first day on the property, he added.

“If we need to still be here, we’ll be here more days,” Beisner said.

Kent said he couldn’t even remember the names of all the organizations who came forward to help.

Mandy Sharrier, area director for the Young Life organization, came from Harrison County to volunteer alongside her friend Leah Mick, Ohio Valley Young Life coordinator.

“I’ll just be here today. I’ll have to head back,” she said. “I’m glad I was able to do it. I had a free Monday.”