By: Kaitlyn Connolly

“I just felt love, like I had another family,” she said. “They cared about me. They didn’t leave me out on a limb.”

For Maggie Harris, those feelings came after one of the most disorienting experiences of her life. On March 28, a fire at the Wiley School Apartments displaced dozens of residents. Harris did not even realize her building was on fire until she saw flashing red lights outside her window.

“The sad part about it was, the fire happened and in my apartment I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t smell anything,” Harris said. At first, she assumed an ambulance had arrived for someone else and went back to bed. It was not until she heard loud hammering and looked outside that the reality set in. “I saw them bringing a lady down the ladder. I thought, oh my God, there’s a fire.”

Firefighters soon told residents they had to leave immediately. Harris rushed to put on clothes, unaware of how cold it was outside, and in the confusion she forgot her cane. “We had to rush, and that upset my right side as far as walking,” she said, already dealing with what she believed at the time was a fractured pelvis.

Residents were placed on a bus to stay warm, and Harris called her son for help. After briefly leaving to get food, they returned to the apartment, not knowing the building had officially been evacuated. It was not until Sunday evening that police knocked on her door and told her she had minutes to leave. Housing had already been arranged for others, but Harris and her son were missed.

With limited money, they stayed in a hotel for several days. The uncertainty and stress began to take an emotional toll. “I kept thinking, why couldn’t somebody tell me we were being evacuated?” she said.

That question was answered when the American Red Cross reached out. Harris connected with Red Cross staff and volunteers and soon received shelter and support. The experience left her overwhelmed in the best way. “Where would I have been if they hadn’t been here?” she said. “I never thought the care, the concern, the interest, and the hope came with it.”

She credits Red Cross volunteers, including Jerry Hanson, Misty Fowler, Kathy Wood, and so many others with helping her through one of her lowest moments. “I felt myself going into a depression stage,” Harris said. “But after talking with them, I couldn’t help but cry. They made me feel so secure. I think God put them in place for me.”

In response to the fire, the Red Cross and community partners stepped in immediately and sheltered nearly 30 displaced residents. As recovery continues, more than 60 people are getting help to rebuild their lives.

 “This couldn’t be done without the help of so many organizations in the community, like Rowan Helping Ministries, United Way, city and county Emergency Services, Rufty Homes, and so so many more” said Sheila Crunkleton, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Southern Piedmont Chapter.

For Harris, the support went far beyond material help. “You don’t find many people like this,” she said. “I’m just grateful. I’m thankful. I can’t help but feel good knowing somebody cares.”