Building a disaster response organization and actually responding to a disaster are two entirely different things. But, you can't ask volunteers to do what you won't do yourself, so I went to Middletown this week to help with disaster relief and talk to as many people as I could about on site needs.
Arriving was the hardest part. You just don't understand the impact on people's lives until you are there in person.
I slept in the back of a semi truck in bunk beds provided to volunteers, fed volunteers thanks to the generosity of the Lions Club and helped residents do what they called "sifting," which is going through debris looking for anything that might be salvageable or a keepsake. (I didn't find a single thing.)
As you might have guessed, the first responders do an excellent job. The Red Cross was passing out food and even some companies showed up in a big way to lend a hand (Verizon set up a mobile network and offered use of computers and phone chargers for example.
The residents of Middletown need pretty much everything to rebuild their lives. They have food and water thanks to first responders, but they've lost everything else. They need plates, pots, clothes, hay for their horses...everything. Fill a box and send it to:
Middletown Senior Center
21256 Washington Street
Middletown, CA 95461
(There are also hay drop stations in town.)
Middletown Baptist Church
1818 W. Main
Middletown, CA 95461
Or, if a cash donation is more of a fit in terms of helping out and not filling boxes, based on what I saw when I was there, I would recommend The American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.
You are the difference. You can pay it forward.
Quick story: I’m walking down the street covered in soot because its day two and I haven’t found the shower truck yet. This American Red Cross ambulance pulls over and honks. I’m thinking, “Wow, do I really look that bad?” Nope. Someone hops out the back and hands me a bowl of chili and a bottled water and says “Have some lunch.” They pat me on the shoulder (I’m wearing an “itstimetohelp.org” shirt covered in soot so they know I’m part of the relief effort.), they ask me if there’s anything I need and they drive off. I’m standing there on a burnt out street, covered in soot with a bowl of chili thinking to myself “What just happened?”
ReplyDeleteMy good friend Allan and I met last night and what he realized is that the people displaced need a small sense of home. They need a tent and a camping stove, like the ones made my Coleman. If you happen to have anything like that in your garage that is gathering dust, please send it to the Senior Center in Middletown at the address listed on this post. For people impacted by the fire, all they have is a driveway surrounded by debris. A tent and someplace where they can heat up canned goods (which they also need) would be a big deal in terms of recovery.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, I don't mean to imply anyone is starving. The Lions Club and the American Red Cross are doing an excellent job of helping people. The Army/National Guard is escorting people to their homes, though many are finding there is no longer a home on their lot. This is just about giving people a little slice of home back.
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