Viewers across the nation saw images of the Richmond Hills neighborhood on the city’s Southside following a deadly blast Nov. 10 that killed two people, damaged dozens of houses and temporarily forced more than 200 people from their homes.
“It’s one thing to see everything from the air, but looking at it straight on, man, it’s every bit a war zone,” said Robert Stevenson, who lives in Richmond Hills.
Robert and Debra Larkins-Stevenson have been living in the Richmond Hills subdivision for over three years, and are believed to be its only African-American residents.
The night the explosion occurred, could have turned out tragic for them, as it did for another couple who lived in the neighborhood – 34-year-old John Dion Longworth and his 36-year-old wife Jennifer.
Robert, who works at Eli Lilly and Debra, an on-call physician, took a break from their busy work schedules to see a film at a nearby theater.
However, instead of seeing a showing early in the evening, they decided to take a nap and go later. Therefore, they were fortunately not at home when the explosion occurred at one of the houses on a street located less than a block from where they live.
As the Stevensons drove from the theater, however, Debra received calls and text messages from a few of her nurses, who asked if she was OK.
“This was around 12:30 at night and I’m like, ‘yes I’m OK, why?’ The nurse said, ‘Don’t you know what happened? There’s been a massive explosion and homes have been leveled,’” Debra said. “My heart just sank.”
When the Stevensons arrived near the entrance of Richmond Hills, they found a police roadblock and emergency vehicles parked everywhere.
“We could not turn down our street, so I asked a police officer what was going on,” Robert said. “At the time he said a plane had crashed into the subdivision. We had just come from seeing the movie ‘Flight,’ so that was kind of crazy for us.”
Like other residents, the Stevensons were directed to Southport Presbyterian Church, where authorities had set up a makeshift evacuee station to provide residents with resources, temporary shelter and updates.
“Lots of people were in pajamas and slippers, and nobody really knew anything about what happened. It was a surreal situation,” Debra said. “Still, I have strong faith, so I trusted that whatever the situation was God would provide for us.”
The Stevensons and other residents were assisted by numerous volunteers from area churches and other groups.
“We were approached by a lot of people who would come over and ask what they could do to help, and we interacted with other people who had been impacted by the explosion,” Robert said.
The following afternoon, the Stevensons were given clearance to return to their house to retrieve clothes and other essential items. By the following Tuesday, electricity had been restored, and the couple moved back into the home.
The Stevensons were glad to discover that unlike many homes that had major damage to roofs, siding, windows and doors, their house survived with little damage. The blast did sink the garage door in and caused cracks in the ceilings and walls of rooms in the house.
“All of the houses behind the scene were affected significantly. We’re talking 20 to 30 homes,” Robert said. “Other homes, such as ours, were blessed to have relatively light damage.”
Still, the Stevensons are not taking the outcome of their situation for granted.
“We have a testimony,” Robert said. “My heart goes out to the families of the people who lost their lives.”
Robert, who once served in the Navy, added that he is concerned about the fact that, more than a week after the explosion, local and federal authorities have still not determined its cause.
“It can be unnerving,” he said. “Some say it was caused by a gas leak, but the fact that the utilities were turned back on tells me that it was not a leak.”
One of the reasons the Stevensons moved to Richmond Hills was its close proximity to Debra’s medical practice. At first, they had some concern about the neighborhood’s relative lack of diversity, but have only encountered friendliness from fellow residents.
“It is a quiet and pleasant working class neighborhood,” Debra said. “We have not had any problems.”
The Stevensons note that the explosion has brought the neighborhood together.
In addition, the outpouring of support from the community has been helpful, from donations offered by nearby churches to free dinners, tickets and rides to Indiana Pacers basketball games.
The Stevensons are set to move forward with their lives, with Robert announcing this week that his gospel music label, Damascus Road Recording, is about to release a new CD by its group, Zion’s Joy.
Still, having friends and family on the East Coast who suffered tragic losses after Hurricane Sandy has reminded the Stevensons of how different things could have turned out.
“When you go through something like this it really gives you appreciation for life and what you have,” Debra said. “It is easy to become detached from something when you see it on television. But when it happens to you, it can really make you think and evaluate your life.”
