Clearlake >> Some know their homes still stand, some have lost it all and others still don’t know. Despite varying circumstances, residents displaced by the Valley Fire taking shelter at the Highlands Senior Service Center Thursday remained in generally good spirits. But as a week approaches since they’ve been able to visit their homes or what remains, they are eager to return as the threat of looting lingers.
“A crisis like this brings out the best in good people and the worst in bad people,” Ginny Stark said.
She, her daughter and son-in-law were camping out at the senior center parking lot with their six cats and two dogs.
For the first few days, the Hidden Valley Lake residents had been sleeping in cars, but by Thursday the cramped vehicle conditions proved to be too much and they set up a canopy they lined with donated tarp.
“They’ve been so generous,” Stark said of the volunteers working the shelter. “‘You need a blanket? Take two,’ they’ll say.”
On Wednesday the group was escorted to their home unscathed by the fire and were able to grab their pets and medications. Stark described the scene as surreal, and said there was miles of just black land surrounding the area.
“We are one of the lucky ones,” Stark said. “There are plenty of people who are way worse off.”
Betty Alfonso and her husband are two of them. Their Hidden Valley Lake home for more than 20 years was completely destroyed by the fire.
“It’s a very weird feeling not having anything,” she said. “But we are doing wonderful for the circumstances.”
Alfonso ran into friends Rosalee and Bruce Littrell who are staying elsewhere but were spending the day at the shelter.
As Rosalee Littrell approached her husband, they shared a small moment of joy when she showed him the coffee pot she was able to get. It was tough not having a well brewed cup, and it was just one thing that is making their time away from home a bit easier to deal with.
The Littrells and Alfonso hugged and chatted for a while, comparing stories about what they saw, how they managed to escape the fire and what they’ve lost.
“Day by day you remember stuff that’s gone,” Alfonso said.
Everything is still up in the air, but they all hope to return and rebuild.
“It’s a new beginning,” Alfonso said.
Stark’s daughter Shana Ruggio, a Minnie Cannon Elementary School behavioral aid, also remained optimistic. She wanted to give students the message that Mrs. Ruggio loves them, and “we’ll see each other again.”
In the mean time, she and many other evacuees find comfort in the effort volunteers have made to make sure they’re taken care of.
Nearly everyone noted the overwhelming amount of support from local residents. Hundreds of pounds of food, stacks of bottled water, clothes, showers and personal hygiene products were brought to the shelter.
“We are a poor county with a rich heart,” Marco Ruggio said.
And they’ve received plenty of out-of-county support as well.
The Auburn Salvation Army had volunteers manning its mobile kitchen called a canteen. They’ve been serving between 90 to 120 meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner since last Sunday and will continue to do so until Sept. 20.
Even with all of the praise for volunteers, Salvation Army team leader Gail Selby said they find inspiration from the evacuees.
“These people are so courageous and so upbeat,” she said. “They have blessed us and encourage us.”
