Volunteers from all around the state showed up on Saturday to shovel mud, move furniture and clean houses of those affected by this week’s flooding. The scene was bittersweet, with so many people taking time out of their weekend to help those in need, while victims tried to pick up the pieces after losing nearly everything.
More than 300 volunteers showed up at Olympic Stadium at 8 a.m. on Saturday equipped with shovels, garbage bags and latex gloves. Habitat for Humanity, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, The Red Cross, and Hometown Sanitation were among the groups at the field along with citizen volunteers.
In the stadium’s plaza, volunteers were assigned different locations throughout Hoquiam and Aberdeen to pick up debris and move furniture, while some were tasked with demolishing houses that were beyond repair.
“We just like helping our community,” said Michael Bailey who came from Winlock. “I’ve gotten flooded out twice before, so I know what it’s like.”
The Red Cross handed out cleaning kits throughout the day at the stadium, which acted as headquarters during the cleanup. The Coastal Community Action Program gave out and collected sheets that allowed residents to report damages to the county. In order for Federal Emergency Management Agency to give assistance in Grays Harbor County, Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers said there needs to be at least $9.3 million in damage reported throughout Grays Harbor, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Wahkiakum and Whatcom counties.
After getting assigned to different areas of both towns, the volunteers were off.
On Queets Avenue, which was hit hard by a mudslide on Beacon Hill, Kathryn Erickson was moving her belongings out of her house to move in with her parents. A dozen volunteers milled around the house carrying boxes and furniture out to a storage truck to assist in Erickson’s relocation.
Brad Hirschi was one of those volunteers and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
“This is what the lord would want us to do: serve,” said Hirschi.
David Brown, another member of the church, said he felt it was his duty to help those who were in need.
“We were lucky enough to not have problems with the flood and we wanted to help those who did. It’s important for the community to come together,” he said.
Notwithstanding all that damage that Erickson’s house has sustained, including losing a stove, refrigerator and bicycles due to water damage, she kept a positive attitude throughout and was more than happy to have all the help from volunteers.
“We got the house packed up in two hours on Thursday and we won’t be here long today with all the people we’ve got,” she said.
On top of the help, there was another silver lining for Erickson on Saturday during the cleanup.
“We found the cat!” Erickson exclaimed as she came out of her house with a smile on her face. Erickson got the cat’s carrier from her vehicle and went into a bedroom where the animal was hiding in a closet. Erickson said she found “Suzie” under her son’s bed while picking up. The cat had been missing since last week, after the mudslide on Beacon Hill pushed dirt and brush up against Erickson’s home.
In the 300 block of 30th street in Hoquiam, Chris Truitt wasn’t so lucky. Truitt lost almost everything after the torrential rain came last week and was cleaning up with the help of volunteers. Truitt estimates he’s lost about $10,000 in possessions.
“It was trounced,” said Truitt referring to his house. “Eighteen to 20 percent of the stuff is salvageable, tops.”
Tamra Sayler, with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Olympia, was helping Truitt clean the house with her husband and son. Sayler graduated from Aberdeen High School and came to help after getting word of the cleanup from a church leader.
“I think it’s important to help when you can. It’s overwhelming for people and if you can help, you should,” said Sayler.
Past Robert Gray Elementary, in the 1700 block of North B Street, Carol and Bruce Hulsman had at least a dozen volunteers at their house helping shovel mud from their backyard and clean the inside of their house. The Hulsman’s house’s lower level was completely flooded with water after torrential rain last Sunday and Monday.
Although the second floor of their house remained dry, the Hulsmans don’t have insurance and are unsure of their future. Almost everything in the kitchen and lower rooms of the house was lost.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” said Carol. “We lost everything.”
Bruce said the couple had just put new siding on the house and bought new appliances before the disaster.
“We were just settling in and feeling comfortable,” he said.
Dan Hamilton shoveled mud out of the Hulsman’s backyard. Hamilton came from Raymond to volunteer and was happy to help.
“I wouldn’t want to be going through this by myself,” he said.
Darrel Hopkins and his daughter, Lilly, rolled a tire out of the Hulsman’s lawn together. Darrel’s wife, Lyssa, was also helping out. The three were having a good time cleaning the Hulsman’s home, notwithstanding the mud.
“It’s fun. It was a good thing to do on a Saturday,” said Darrel.
Meanwhile, a group of rambunctious Girl Scouts walked around the Olympic Stadium neighborhood pick up trash and debris. Cassandra Hayter led the group, who had been out all morning cleaning alleyways and side streets.
Sarah Layng, along with Hayter, directed the girls to pick up whatever trash they could, stopping at houses and asking if they needed any help. One of the houses the group stopped at was Liz Protheroe’s, who was cleaning up her garage. Protheroe’s house suffered minor damage during the flood, but she was impressed with the community cleanup effort.
“This has been awesome, all these people coming by to help. We have an amazing community,” she said.
The cleanup was a success, according to “Harbor Strong” organizer Jackie Jamieson, who estimated there were more than 300 people at the event. Jamieson said all the houses her crews planned to work on got cleaned out.
The City of Hoquiam had dumpsters at the event for flood refuse and trucks lined up all along Cherry Street waiting to drop off their garbage. Myers had a thick stack of damage reports at the end of the cleanup and urged residents to be sure they fill one out so the area can receive assistance from FEMA.
“This has been a phenomenal turnout, exactly what we expect from the Harbor. Our neighbors came together,” he said.
Residents can fill out a damage from at http://ift.tt/1xZGupA
The Home Depot will host another cleanup on Sunday at 10 a.m. Those who want to volunteer should meet at the store at 9 a.m.
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