Written by Patricia Griffiths, Cascades Communications Volunteer
On September 7, 2020, high winds surged across Oregon, spreading a few small wildfires into multiple roaring conflagrations. More than one million acres were decimated, and more than 40,000 people forced to abandon their homes. Fortunately, the extent of the tragedy was mitigated by teams of people who spent hours preparing for disasters like these.
“We prepare county management and other community organizations to be sure there are facilities available, how to do feeding, how to do a dormitory, everything from A to Z,” explained Michelle Hamrick, Senior Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross Cascades Region that covers Oregon and SW Washington. She and other Red Cross disaster managers partner with FEMA to prepare communities through the Shelter Field Guide Training program.
Hamrick recalled the events of that day, “I was working as leadership on call…setting up a shelter with emergency management,” for a smaller fire, right before the conflagrations erupted. Due to the high winds, “that fire accelerated. So, we set up a shelter in Springfield, and I was working to move the team to Springfield.”
Meanwhile, she was working at home without electricity into the night, due to her own proximity to the wildfires. “I could see the fire. The smoke was red.”
As the fire approached, Hamrick and her neighbors received notice to evacuate and go to shelters. They, like other evacuees, relied on the Red Cross Emergency App and online information from government agencies to find shelters. When Hamrick and her neighbors arrived at the shelters, they were open and ready to receive the evacuees, thanks to preparation by Hamrick and the rest of the emergency team.
The next day, she went to the nearby casino “to find out the needs of the community,” only to find that the fire had turned and was raging toward the casino. “We evacuated the casino, and moved to a middle school. But, by the time we got there, it was unsafe, so we evacuated a large portion of Lincoln City [residents] to Newport.” Recalling the additional challenges during the pandemic, she said, “we opened a congregate shelter in the middle of COVID for about 290 people.”
Even though she and her management team adapted rapidly to many challenges, they couldn’t keep up with the speed and ferocity of the wildfires. That was when their preparations and training for the community paid off again.
“The training we did locally, the field training, guided the local community partners on how to open shelters on their own,” she said. “Because of that, by the time I got to Newport, which took a couple hours due to traffic, the community leaders at the community college had already set up the kitchen, dormitory, and were already taking people in. That was a testament to community training!”
Another reason the local shelters were able to open without Red Cross personnel onsite was that the Red Cross had previously placed equipment trailers, loaded with cots and other supplies, in close proximity to possible disaster sites. Community emergency managers, who are trained to set up shelters in churches, community colleges and other buildings, know where the trailers are located and can access them quickly during a disaster.
“As the days went on, I continued to work as a Red Cross shelter worker, manager, whatever needed to be done. We moved them as soon as we could into motels, then back to Lincoln City to their homes and work,” said Hamrick.
Looking back on the wildfire season, Hamrick recalls the positive side of what happened to help people, rather than focusing on the disaster. “The training I did came to full fruition!” With a nod to the people who partnered with the Red Cross, she said, “People open their doors when the needs are there! That’s Oregon! That’s our community! That’s what we are about!”
Alert yourself to disasters at home or while you travel, by downloading the free Red Cross Emergency App.
To make a donation or become trained to help with disasters in your community, contact the Red Cross at: www.redcross.org.
One of many cats left behind during the fires. Photo taken by Michelle Hamrick.
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