08
vernonia’s
voice volunteerism
january
2008
First Responders - The First Heroes
By Scott Laird
Vernonia Fire Chief Paul Epler has reason to be proud
of his volunteers. “They did an outstanding job,”
praised Epler, as he looked back on the first day of
the disaster.
The quickly rising waters caught the community as a
whole by surprise, and swift moving currents made
rescues especially difficult.
“It got to the point where we could only get to those
people who were close to the center of town,” said
Smith. “It was frustrating because we just don’t have
the means here. We are a small rural department with-
out the financial resources and the equipment to deal
with a disaster like this. A lot of people that needed
help were just out of reach.”
Vernonia Fire and Rescue, Vernonia Emergency
Medical Services, Vernonia Police Department and
CERT personnel all responded in numbers to the All
Call that went out just before 8:30 a.m. on Decem-
ber 3. Over eighteen inches of rain in the previous
forty-eight hours had given notice that the community
might be in trouble.
Vernonia Police Sergeant Mike Kay noted the isolated
situation that the community found itself in, and the
great work that community volunteers were able to
provide. “With the roads into town closed, we liter-
ally became an island. We had no outside help for
the first twenty-four hours. The Air National Guard
couldn’t fly because of weather conditions. Outside
agencies couldn’t reach us because the roads were
closed. There were a number of citizens who really
stepped up and helped. Ray Cota and Norm Brown
are just two of many that deserve praise for their ef-
forts.”
“I took an early look at Rock Creek and knew it was
going to get bad,” said Epler.
As the water continued to rise, Epler told all those re-
sponding who might be affected by flooding to head
back home and take care of their personal property first,
then to come back if they could. Many were unable to
return as they became stranded by high water.
Epler had high praise for all his crew members and
noted the work of Lieutenant Dean Smith, Dan Ow-
ens, Luke Ellis, Kristina McCord, and Wayne Vaughn
as outstanding. “I had to send about half my people
home to deal with their own issues. They all wanted
to be here to help their community. Everyone did a
great job under very difficult circumstances.”
“Because so many of our volunteers were personally
effected by the flooding, we spent the initial rescue
period shorthanded, with five to eight people working
at any one time.” explained Lieutenant Smith.
Donations Pour In
- Even From Montana
By Scott Laird
Help with the relief efforts for flood victims has been pouring into the community
of Vernonia from everywhere. The many Portland-area businesses that assisted
the efforts are just too numerous to name; individuals and groups in outlying areas
brought clothing, food, toys, furniture, equipment and supplies by the truck load.
The outpouring of generosity has been overwhelming.
One especially heartwarming story was of a truck and trailer load of donations
that came all the way from Twin Bridges, Montana. Former Vernonia resident
Janie Wasmann currently resides in Twin Bridges as does Janie’s 86-year-old fa-
ther, Bill McMillin. Mr. McMillin
took it upon himself to begin gath-
ering donations to send to Vernonia.
He hand packed boxes of clothing,
Christmas decorations, and toys that
he collected, as well as supervised
the loading of the trailer and pickup
that also included furniture for flood
victims. Funds were raised to pay
for expenses to bring the donations
to Oregon. Patty and Don Welborn
were asked to drive the shipment of
relief items and agreed. Patty and
Don drove fifteen straight hours and
arrived in Vernonia on December
20th, just in time to help spread some
needed Christmas cheer.
HOUSE FOR SALE BY OWNER
710 E. BRIDGE STREET, VERNONIA
100’ x 100’ Dividable Lot
4 Bedroom
2100 SQ. Feet
$252,000
Call Terry for a
No Hassel Showing
971-409-4779
According to Sergeant Kay, Vernonia Rescue personnel
were credited with sixty-three known rescues that first
day. The Air National Guard helped with twenty rescues
when they arrived on the morning of December 4th.
Long Term Volunteers Needed
The Victims Assistance group that will be continuing to meet the needs of
the communities affected by flooding is seeking volunteers to fill key posi-
tions. It is expected that flood victims will continue to need services for
at least twelve to eighteen months from the time of the flood. Rose Peets,
the acting Volunteer Coordinator, stepped into her position while on winter
break from college classes. She will be returning to school in mid January
and hopes to find a replacement for her position.
“Ideally we are looking for people who are familiar with the area, specifi-
cally locals,” explained Rose. “Someone who is retired or who is a stay at
home person would be great. Teams are good, either husband and wives or
groups of friends.”
“Every one of our zones of operation has positions that need to be filled,
said Rose. “We need additional people at Lincoln Grade school to fill in at
the Distribution Center. We are going to need someone with construction
experience to work distributing building materials. We need a Volunteer
Coordinator. And we are going to have an ongoing need for people to make
phone calls, checking in with victims, and helping out with office type
work.”
“There were a lot of people who jumped in right away, and they are getting
tired. We need to start finding replacements and folks to fill in, so our lead
people can take a break,” concluded Rose.
If you are interested in helping with the recovery effort and would like to
volunteer call 503-791-9629.
Preschool-
Kindergarten
ROUNDUP
& All-School Open House
January 24th, 2008
Roundup starts at 6pm
Open house 6:30-8pm
Banks Christian Academy
22785 NW Fisher Road
Buxton, OR 97109
503-324-4500
Jessica Davis
Dance Class
Winter Recital rescheduled for
January 18th at 7pm at the
Vernonia Community Church Gymnasium
Regular classes resume January 7th
Monday and Wednesday
3:30 - 6:30 pm
429~0850