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| Responding to a call of duty |
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| Written by Mary Martin / Community Columnist | |
| Saturday, 24 November 2007 | |
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The call came the evening of Oct. 22: “Pack your bags with enough clothes for seven days, and plan to be gone at least two weeks.”  Mary Martin / Red Cross Volunteer I had responded to local American Red Cross needs in the past, but I was now responding to a “big one.” Fires were destroying property in San Diego and displacing more than 650,000 people. I left the next morning on a puddle-jumper to San Francisco and arrived in San Diego on a jet that same day. Meanwhile, local Red Cross worker Debbie Calcote traveled to fires in the Los Angeles area. Once in San Diego, I was assigned to a shelter containing 2,000 evacuees at Valley Center High School, where I worked with other Red Cross volunteers from across the nation. Dire scene My first impression was that of a traveler to a war zone. To arrive at our shelter, we had to pass two checkpoints guarded by police and the National Guard. Highway 78 was eerily empty. Piles of crushed concrete from road construction lay east of us, with everything burned or burning right up to the highway.  Red Cross volunteers work at a shelter at Valley Center High School in San Diego. Courtesy photo. Our shelter was in Valley Center, close to the Poomacha fire in San Diego County and right in the middle of an evacuation area. No one was allowed in except support people with documentation. Masses of humanity were spread across the gymnasium on green U.S. Army cots and some mattresses donated by a local casino. Groups of mothers, fathers, babies and children each claimed their own little territories. Outside, motor homes, trailers, cars and flatbeds carried all of the belongings they had managed to get out. The room was quiet but filled with tension and anxiety. Little children huddled by their mothers instead of playing. Finding a routine By the second day, we started routines to help make life a little better, more organized and busier. There was a time for mopping floors, doing kitchen duties, cleaning bathrooms and tidying each family’s domain. Once a routine was established, everyone was visibly more relaxed, and the noise level rose. Children played in an established play area with toys donated by various churches and service groups. Fathers gathered outside to smoke and talk. Mothers sat on the cots and nursed babies or folded clothes. Showering was a communal event in the boys and girls locker rooms. Nighttime woes People were restless at night, because it was hot and stuffy in the gymnasium. The air conditioners, clogged with ash, simply would not work. It remained that way until the repair people could get in to clean the filters. Babies slept soundly, but there were a few snorers among the adults. Many people would get up in the middle of the night to sit at the snack table and talk quietly. Staff slept in a room in the school theater next to the gym. I chose to sleep outside on a balcony on the second floor of the building, rather than with the wall-to-wall cots in the room. I called it my private lanai. One night, the ash was so bad, I woke up in the middle of the night with an urgent feeling that I must get inside or I would become sick. The ash was thick and heavy, and I listened to my inner prompting and went inside. The next day, the road was opened, and all of the workers were moved to a local hotel for the remaining nights we were there. Air quality was a huge problem throughout the trip. We were surrounded by fires on three sides, with the closest about 3 or 4 miles away. By night, we could sit and watch the red glow and sometimes see the flames as they crowned the hills around us. Sunsets were gorgeous in various shades of red, orange and black. Ash rained on us for several days. No one could go outside without a face mask.  Garbage piled up in front of the gymnasium at Valley Center High School. Courtesy photo. Varied characters There was a cast of characters in the shelter, including one proud owner of 20 cats. A lovely, sweet lady, she occupied a corner of the band room. Through the generosity of a local Petco store, we were able to corral many of her pets into a few cages. We later found out that she had allowed her cats to roam free in the percussion room, where they proceeded to climb all over the drums, do their duty on the carpeted floors and use the fabric-covered walls as scratching posts. Sharing the band room were rabbits, dogs, other cats, a ferret, hamsters, guinea pigs, roosters and hens, chickens, birds of several varieties and the owners of this menagerie. Horses, goats and donkeys occupied the football field outside the gym. In addition to the crates and cages, PetCo donated food for every type of animal we had living with us. Most clients were patient and kind, but one husband and wife were particularly challenging. The husband had a long, black hair, a bushy beard, black pants, a dark blue shirt, black suspenders and a round-brimmed hat. His intolerance, complaints and harsh words set him apart from nearly everyone else in the shelter. The couple had relatives nearby with better air, but they chose to stay in the shelter. Though the wife wore her mask indoors, we knew she was uncomfortable and had breathing issues. There was nothing we could do about the air quality, and we tried to explain that we were doing the best that we could to make her comfortable. When the road opened and people could leave, she left for her relatives, while her husband remained with us, waiting for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and any other type of help that might eventually arrive. An inspiring leader Mario, a 16-year-old in body, but an adult in abilities and leadership, became our go-to person in many situations. He became our Spanish-language translator — a spokesman for fire and police authorities who visited our shelter with news of the fire’s progress and the one who translated our daily morning announcements. If we needed something, Mario could find it. If we needed a crew of helpers, Mario would recruit, organize and direct them. He was invaluable to us, and before we left, we took up a donation for the beginnings of a college fund for him. We raised almost $500 and presented it to him on the last day we were there. A note of introduction from the Red Cross was written that he can use when applying for a job, and several people plan to write to their senators to find a way to give Mario legal status. We also talked to Mario’s principal, who was already aware of his abilities and work ethics, as were some of his teachers. Giving community The community’s generosity flowed. Churches donated food, water, toys and clothes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent blankets, canned goods and four missionaries to help out. Restaurants donated meals. A large clothing manufacturer in New York sent a 16-foot truck filled with brand-new designer clothing. We had the most beautiful and well-dressed children of any shelter around. My heart was bursting with pride for this community that pulled together in a time of crisis. The day before Halloween, two churches offered to come and “trunk-or-treat” with the youngsters in the shelter. They decorated car trunks and the areas around the cars, filling cute little donated Halloween bags. The kids enjoyed shelter life, and everyone tried to make it fun for them. Disneyland officials sent Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy characters to visit with the children. Each child received a Mickey Mouse doll dressed in “Pirates of the Caribbean” outfits. Difficult days Working 12 to 15 hours a day was the norm for volunteers, but the routine started to become wearying about the seventh day. Most of us were allowed a day off about that time to refresh, wash laundry and take time away from it all. Many of us went out to local restaurants to put money back into the community. Some people went home after the evacuated area opened and they could move freely in their neighborhoods. Others did not have homes to go to and remained in the shelter. Those remaining were the heartbreaking ones. They had lost all of their goods and were homeless. The luckiest of this group received help from FEMA, but there was no federal aid for illegal immigrants or transients. The American Red Cross’ client services tried to help as many as it could with some money for a new start. The unfortunates were those who had lived on their landlords’ land in trailers. Now, the landlords had no trailers, no crops and, therefore, no work for those people. Most clients were stoic and put on brave faces to the world. The most visibly distressed was a divorced woman who had lost her ranch and 17 horses. She sent her 15-year-old daughter to stay with an aunt in another state while she tried to start over. Red Cross provided mental-health counselors on site for anyone, staff or client, who felt the need to talk or just be comforted. Nurses were also present for the everyday bumps and bruises and fevers in the night. In our shelter, we had three pregnant mothers who were almost ready to deliver. At the first sign of a contraction, we moved one mother to a shelter closer to a major hospital. Major rewards I felt such a love for the people I was serving. While the circumstances were hard, the rewards were immense. I have many more memories filed away to cherish at my leisure, and though some will float away, the feeling of being needed will never go away. It was embarrassing, but pleasing, when airline personnel and restaurant workers would thank us for being there. Their gratitude was so gracious and heartfelt. Those who want to get involved can attend meetings led by the Patterson branch of the Stanislaus County Chapter of the American Red Cross, which includes Patterson, Grayson and Newman residents. The group meets at 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month at the Patterson Library, 46 N. Salado Ave. Members go out on calls and are in the process of preparing for any disaster that might strike this area. The local chapter welcomes all newcomers. For information: 523-6451. Red Cross volunteer Mary Martin of Patterson joined fellow local Debbie Calcote in responding to the Southern California wildfires last month. Patterson-area resident Joe Solis also helped in the effort.
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