Lindy Zeeman playing her harp in the Redmond Red Cross shelter.
By: Isabel Anderson, Regional Communications Manager
The Flat Fire started the evening of August 21st in Jefferson and Deschutes County. Overnight, the fire grew exponentially from 8,000 to 21,000 acres, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes. A Red Cross shelter was quickly set up at the Highland Baptist Church in Redmond for those evacuated or looking for information and resources.
A couple of days after the fire started, the church received an unusual call: a woman from Massachusetts was looking for her sister who had been unreachable since the Flat Fire started.
Lindy Zeeman lives in Sisters, OR and when her home came within 1,000 feet of the fire, she decided it was time to evacuate. For a few nights, she stayed with a friend before coming to the Red Cross shelter. When her sister heard about the fire near Lindy’s home, she was eager to get a hold of her. However, Lindy had left her phone behind at home, along with her computer.
Lindy giving harp lessons to Red Cross volunteer, Plutney Alcime.
ohn Vinje, a Red Cross volunteer and the Redmond shelter supervisor was walking around the grounds of the shelter when he noticed someone new. After striking up a conversation, he realized she might be the missing sister. “When I got to the Red Cross shelter, one of the first things they let me do was call my sister,” Lindy said. That call lasted 30 minutes—and brought both sisters peace of mind. “They were both happy again,” John recalled.
After reconnecting with her sister and reassuring her that she was safe, Lindy turned her attention to something close to her heart: a one-of-a-kind handcrafted harp she had evacuated with. As a gesture of gratitude, she offered harp lessons to Red Cross volunteers. The gentle music filled the shelter, bringing calm and comfort to everyone there as they breathed a sigh of relief knowing the mystery had been solved. “This was just the capstone of my week,” John said, reflecting on the experience.
Every day, Red Cross volunteers help families find safety, connection, and hope—even in the most uncertain moments.
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