Red Cross disaster responders Sue Henderson, Michal Delgado, Jackie Oram and Jeff Daniels provide comfort and care to those displaced by the Boulder 2700 fire in Lake County.
It was 1:30 in the morning when Robert Strehlow got the knock on the door telling him it was time to leave his Lake County home. The wind had changed, the Boulder 2700 wildfire had jumped the road and was coming his way.
“I got a flashlight and a few things together and headed out,” he said. “The wind was blowing terrible, and it was hot. I thought we were going to be burned out for sure.”
Robert spent a couple nights in Kalispell before making his way to the Red Cross shelter in Polson, where he would spend the next few days. A team of Red Cross volunteers was there, ready to help.
“I appreciate them. They’re real good people,” said Robert, a retired farmer from South Dakota who spends summers in western Montana.
“I don’t think I want to go through this every day, but it’s nice to know you have a place to go.”
Over the course of a week, the Red Cross provided 80 overnight stays and plenty of comfort and care to displaced clients. And they got an outpouring of help along the way.
Community partners including local churches and the Elks Club provided meals, local hospitals were on hand to assist with medical needs like replacing medications and helping clients cope with anxiety, and businesses donated everything from water to care kits. The public pitched in, too.
“I can’t overstate the value of our partners who worked with us,” said Michal Delgado, one of six Red Cross volunteer disaster responders in Lake County. “The churches, the food pantries and the individuals who showed up with cars loaded with stuff. They would ask ‘what do you need?’ and we would ask for water or towels and then everything would just show up. It was amazing.”
The Red Cross team also went the extra mile to accommodate clients’ needs. A woman who uses a heart monitor was given her own private area where staff could check in on her more easily and that had a power outlet for her medical device. Several elderly women were staying at the shelter by themselves, and the Red Crossers made sure they had the support they needed.
There were even some moments of celebration amidst the worry and uncertainty that comes with disaster. A family of nine staying at the shelter celebrated a 50th birthday party, and the Red Cross team was able to find them some private space where they could be together.
“They brought a birthday cake and everything, and they were very appreciative,” Michal said.
The team on the ground also got support from other Red Cross volunteers from across the region.
A relatively new Red Crosser, Jackie Oram from Emmett, Idaho, raised her hand and made the trip to Polson. This was her first assignment in a Red Cross shelter.
“I was able to sit with one client – you could just tell she needed someone to talk to – and wholeheartedly listen and give her my attention,” Jackie said. “These are human beings who have a lot on their minds wondering if their homes were still there. If I was in their shoes, that’s how I would want to be treated.”
With her background as a certified nursing assistant, Jackie was also able to help with clients’ medical needs. When an elderly woman with diabetes wasn’t feeling well, she was able to help check her blood sugar.
“I’m a hands-on person who has always cared about the people around me,” she said. “I was glad I was there to help out somebody else in need.”
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Montana Red Cross Board Chair Craig Stahlberg even paid a visit to the shelter to thank volunteers.
“This is what you do to help your neighbors,” Michal said. “It doesn’t matter if the disaster is big or small, you just walk with them and help them process their way through it.”
About a week after he had to flee his home in the wee hours of the morning, Robert Strehlow also celebrated a birthday. And he got the best present ever – the opportunity to return to his cabin and the four acres it sits on and see that it was all still intact.
“Everything turned out pretty good,” he said. “Everybody did a good job, I would say, and it’s nice to know you have someone looking out for you.”
BECOME A RED CROSS SHELTER VOLUNTEER
Last year, the Red Cross of Idaho and Montana provided immediate emergency assistance to 1,500 people after wildfires, home fires and other disasters. And we could use your help.
Become a Red Cross disaster responder and help those in your community and beyond during times of emergency. If you’re interested, send an email to IDMT.Recruiting@redcross.org or call 406-493-8778. Training will be provided.
