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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Coronavirus complicates evacuations
By Rebecca Boone and Sara Cline
Associated Press
SALEM (AP) 4 Tens
of thousands of people have
been forced to flee their
homes as destructive wildfires
roar across the West Coast,
and many of them could end
up in shelters, raising poten-
tial health risks during the
coronavirus pandemic.
The shelters9 impact on
public health is <an unusu-
ally important and under-
researched topic,= said
Karl Kim, executive direc-
tor of the National Disaster
Preparedness Training Center,
which trains first responders.
<People are really scrambling
right now to figure out how
this affects the guidance and
messaging and so forth.=
Large disaster response
o rg a n i z a t i o n s l i k e t h e
American Red Cross are
requiring masks and trying to
keep evacuees at least 6 feet
(2 meters) apart, but it can be
difficult for people already
reeling from a disaster to con-
sistently follow the rules.
Kathy Gee, 68, has dia-
betes and other conditions
that make her vulnerable to
the virus, but that didn9t kept
her from evacuating from her
farm in Molalla, Oregon, to a
shelter in Portland.
<If it9s going to happen, it9s
going to happen. I9m tough,=
she said. <I9ve survived lots of
things. I can survive that.=
At the Oregon State
Fairgrounds in the capital of
Salem, groups of maskless
evacuees gathered in a park-
ing lot and a barn Friday, talk-
ing about the unprecedented
wildfires that have destroyed
an area greater than the size
of Rhode Island. Volunteers
wearing disposable masks
walked from group to group,
taking down their information
and asking what they need for
the days ahead.
Signs plastered the doors
of the exposition center,
where cots were set up, with
safety guidelines for both
wildfires and the pandemic.
Inside, nearly everyone wore
masks, likely because vol-
unteers manning the door
reminded them to do so.
The fires in California,
Oregon and Washington state
have killed several people and
left dozens missing. In the
three states, 6,300 are already
in emergency Red Cross shel-
ters and hotels and as many as
50,000 more could be before
the blazes are under control,
said Brad Kieserman, vice
president of disaster opera-
tions and logistics for the
American Red Cross.
Normally, they9d be gath-
ering in school gymnasiums
and meeting halls, sleeping
on cots and eating at buffet
lines, all provided by orga-
nizations like the Red Cross,
Salvation Army and other
faith and community groups.
But because COVID-19 is
airborne and easily spread
in close quarters, gathering
places are potential hotbeds of
transmission. That9s got disas-
ter assistance groups taking a
different approach.
<Noncongregate shelters
is a new pandemic thing,=
Kieserman said. <The last
thing we want to have hap-
pen is people to remain in the
path of a wildfire or hurricane
because they think it9s safer to
do that than risk a shelter.<
The Red Cross is trying to
prevent the virus from spread-
ing at shelters by regularly
testing staffers, cleaning and
disinfecting often, requiring
masks and screening evacu-
ees for signs of illness. Those
who are sick or have symp-
toms are sent to special isola-
tion shelters. When possible,
displaced residents are sent to
hotels instead of group shel-
ters. Instead of buffet lines,
box lunches are delivered.
<We9re not using a gym,
we9re renting a hotel room
at 120 dollars a night. And
hotels charge for parking 4
it9s all those things you never
think about during a disaster,=
Kieserman said.
In central California,
where thousands of residents
had to flee the Creek Fire,
more than 1,200 evacuees are
staying at 30 hotels, said Tony
Briggs with the Red Cross
in Fresno. In group shelters,
plastic pipes strung with clear
shower curtains are being
used to separate evacuees but
allow them to see out from
their socially distanced areas.
Mass evacuations of this
scale are incredibly difficult,
said Kim, who9s also director
of the Disaster Management
and Humanitarian Assistance
Program at the University of
Hawaii.
Generally, he said evacu-
ees either leave early and
quickly or aren9t as mobile
and require some help get-
ting out. They might decide to
wait it out longer and also are
more likely to need shelters,
he said. Some of them could
be at greater risk of COVID-
19 complications.
In Oregon, group shelters
are set up at churches, col-
leges, and community build-
ings, while malls, golf courses
and other businesses opened
parking for evacuees who can
stay in recreational vehicles.
It will likely be weeks
before officials know if the
evacuations contributed to
the virus spreading, and even
then, it may be difficult to
tell as families scatter to new
locations.
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LETTERS
Continued from page 2
Anger and hate is tearing this country apart. Who is bet-
ter off for this? To quote Rodney King: Can9t we all just get
along?
Jean Nave
s
s
s
To the Editor
In a time of intense crisis, fear, sickness, and unrest, I am
so thankful for the people who have rallied together to serve
others.
I am thankful for all the men and women of law enforce-
ment who stand guard to protect us. These men and women
selflessly lay down their lives for complete strangers.
I am thankful for all the medical professionals who open
their doors and risk their own health to welcome those in
need of physical care.
I am thankful to the thousands of firefighters who coura-
geously battle the wildfires and work tirelessly to keep our
state beautiful and protect our homes.
I am thankful to the local Christian pastors who know that
eternal salvation through Jesus is humanity9s most essential
need. They have vowed to keep their doors open to serve our
community4proving that the church has never, nor ever will
be closed.
I am thankful for the friends and family who have endured
these difficult times with patience and thoughtfulness as they
seek to remain in community with one another.
I am thankful to have an eternal hope in Jesus that no fire
can destroy, no mask can hide, and no looter can steal. I am
thankful to belong to an eternal kingdom whose king is not
up for election. If you are isolated, scared, tired, or weary
reach out for help.
If your hope is resting on the results of November 3, I
would urge you to place your hope in Christ 4 the only
true savior. We don9t have to go through these times alone,
there is much to be thankful for, and there is a hope that is
unshakable.
Jensen Newton
s
s
s
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— Robine B.
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Principal B
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