I was at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar this week doing disaster operations and relief work with the residents whose homes had burned in the wildfires last week. There were over 400 homes burned to the ground. These were not Earl and Joy’s trailer, these were huge, beautiful well maintained mobile homes. One couple had just finished redecorating with granite counter tops and new carpets, walls and fixtures. “It looked like Hawai’i inside” I was told. One woman in her eighties was just standing in front of the brick steps that had led to her front door. “I think this was it, that was my patio.” She said, looking at the drooping debris that had been a table and chair.
Another octogenarian who had survived the bombings in Europe in WWII said this is what the neighborhoods looked like then. “A war zone.” She and her daughter had both lost homes. They drove out the night of the firestorm with dogs and kids, slept in a supermarket parking lot so they could use the facilities and only made it to the shelter after about 28 hours. I talked with at least two dozen families that each had one phrase in common -”we lost everything.”
Some had a chance to take pictures, jewelry and papers with them. Some were back to comb the ashes for wedding rings and coin collections. All felt the same sense of being completely with out an anchor point. Nowhere is home to them right now.
The thing that impressed me most was the work being done by one particular group of helpers. Although the LA Fire Department, the Forestry service, State Police and CERT, Mental Health and Children’s Services, Red Cross and many, many others were looking for any way to ease the terrible shock for the residents, one group stood out. The Salvation Army volunteers set up a tent, drove around the grounds and asked each person there if the needed water, masks (the ash and dust were choking) chap sticks, gloves hats, food. They didn’t say they were from a church. They didn’t try to impose any process on the residents, helpers or other workers (like the cable and utility workers.) They just offered comfort of the most basic kind.
After the Prop 8 struggle with organized religion I am surprised to hear myself say this about a church. Any charity money you need to find a place for, think Salvation Army. I know that the California Senior Senate and other groups are certainly worthy and do great work. I just have my attention on those who find a way to give to people who have literally lost everything.