By: Evan Peterson
The first few days of a new year can be like a fresh snowfall: clean with no disturbances, no paths made, and a chance for a new start. But for Okema Garvin, a metro Atlanta resident a few days into her new start, an early morning knock at the door quickly changed the direction of her life.
“The voice was firm and stern,” recalls Garvin, who, at the time, was standing in her pajamas on the other side of the door, listening to one of her neighbors yell, “There’s a fire and you need to come out.”
It was approximately 2:30 a.m. on January 4, 2022, damp and cold outside, when the large fire broke out in her rooming house complex in East Point, leaving Garvin and 13 neighbors suddenly homeless.
“I wanted to grab everything, but I just said, ‘you just need to come out and assess the situation.’ I opened the door and immediately felt the water from the sprinkler system. Down the hall, I smelled the smoke and saw the fire,” she said.
This wasn’t a drill or an elaborate prank, it was real and “horrifying.” “I could feel the heat and breathe the smoke,” recalled Garvin.
As she looked in the other direction, that part of the hallway was still clear. She made for the exit and stepped out into the cold.
“When I got outside the cops were already there,” said Garvin. “They directed us away from the building where we watched the fire rage.”
As the night’s chill rapidly set in, anxiety-inducing thoughts of what to do next crept into her head.
“I had to process this, and briefly think about what I am going to do and where I am going to go after this,” said Garvin. But as she began to search for answers, the sight of a familiar symbol caught her eye. “Seeing the Red Cross was just a relief.”
Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers on-site directed residents to a Marta bus secured by the fire department to get them out of the cold. The volunteers provided blankets, snacks, personal care items, and emotional support, along with guidance for Garvin and her neighbors on how to begin accessing Red Cross resources to help with emergency needs. Those who wanted assistance were taken shopping to buy clothing and shoes and helped with temporary housing.
This act of warmth and compassion made a lasting impression on Garvin.
“To know that there was someone there to assist us and get some things we needed at the moment – it was just joy.”
Fortunately, Garvin was able to stay with relatives as she got back on her feet. With life beginning to stabilize, her mind shifted to those who assisted her.
“Dealing with the loss I started to write poetry,” said Garvin. “I’m a writer – I journal a lot of things. The least I could do was to journal about the assistance and the aid that the Red Cross had provided to me, she said.
Journaling, for Garvin, took the form of a thank-you card. She wrote and mailed a brief note of appreciation that she says needed to be sent to those who came to her assistance that frigid January night.
Her letter was delivered to the Atlanta Red Cross office and images of the note circulated internally. Staff and volunteers alike found themselves moved by Garvin’s words of appreciation.
“They’re quite grateful on the scene,” said seasoned disaster volunteer Gary Weinstein of the many clients he has helped, “but for somebody to take the time to write a letter –– it doesn’t happen as often. It was extremely rewarding to hear that one of the people we helped is getting back on her feet and that she greatly appreciated our early morning visit,” he added.
If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to talk with a Red Cross disaster volunteer, they’ll be the first to tell you that thanks is never expected from the people they help on what is often the worst day of their lives.
But, when thanks do come their way, it touches the heart.
“I really do appreciate the help that you offered,” wrote Garvin in her note to volunteers. “My life is on the road to recovery. May God continue to bless this organization – and those that give to help others.”
