At 5:00 AM Friday morning, the call went out to The Salvation Army that 600 residents were being evacuated along Grand River which curves around three sides of Painesville. Fast-rising water gushed into homes chasing people to rooftops to await boat and helicopter rescues as 13 inches of rain raised the Grand River 11 feet above flood level. Staff members rushed to the corps to begin this massive assistance that was going to be needed to help care for those who were now homeless and had no family or friends to stay with.
Two of our own Soldiers, Ed (77) & Eunice Hayes (82) were awaken by rescue workers to take them by raft to safety. Later that morning we met up with them and I was able to reach their family who later was able to take them to their home in Willoughby.
After day break, Harvey High School in Painesville became the Emergency Shelter & Recovery Center. Working closely with Painesville City Officials, we served 246 meals that morning to displaced residents and to emergency personnel as far away as Madison, on Route 20. McDonalds and Sam's Club agreed to support our immediate needs without cost to our organization. Others soon did likewise as food and drinks were coming in steady throughout the day.
We were able to call in the local Humane Society to help aid the many animals that were being brought into the Emergency Shelter.
Later Friday afternoon, Red Cross Chapters from Cleveland, Cincinnati and other parts of Northeast Ohio poured into Harvey High School Emergency Shelter and setup their command. They now were handling the shelter part of the Recovery Center as we continued to do our part to meet the needs of those coming in for help and hope.
Around 5:00 PM on Friday, Madison's Mayor contacted The Salvation Army and informed us that they had to open a shelter at the Madison Senior Center but had no food to feed those who were responding to the shelter. We then trucked food supplies, baby diapers, and baby formula to their site to help them get started and to provide several days worth of food and emergency supplies.
All were evacuated with only the clothes on their backs and many were without their identification and important papers. We quickly began writing clothing vouchers to be redeemed at our local Thrift Store to help with their immediate needs to get dry clean clothes for their families. From 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM Friday and 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM Saturday, we served 211 adults and 129 children with clothing and shoes. Cathy Bieterman from Painesville City aided us by contacting LakeTran Bus Co. who supplied a bus and driver to take clients from the Recovery Center to the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Mentor. This continued throughout the entire afternoon until after dinner.
Not only were the local residents at a loss, but the many men, women and teens who are homeless were without the little they normally had. Many were arriving at the shelter recalling how all of their belongings were swept down the river. Unfortunately, many viewed them as coming to take advantage of the system, however we maintained our ground to serve all those in need without discrimination and continued to treat all individuals equally. We were pleased to find so many of our homeless friends willing to help with whatever needed done. What a tremendous difference we have seen in them since the opening of our Homeless Day Shelter back in February.
Countless hours were spent counseling many coming in for shelter and support as well as children's activities to keep the kids occupied. As the water settles, we will begin distributing Disaster Clean-up Kits and Personal Care Kits which are due to arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday of this next week.
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Gov. Bob Taft declared a state of emergency in Lake County. |
Unofficially, the Red Cross has shared with me that they are hoping to close down the Emergency Shelter as early as Monday or Tuesday of this coming week. This may mean that many individuals will again be left without a place to stay due to their homes still needing work. If this should happen, we will somehow open our gymnasium as an emergency shelter to allow the families and individuals time to seek the appropriate help and assistance they need.
We will attempt to organize a massive clean-up effort where volunteers can come to The Salvation Army and sign up for daily clean-up crews to help area residents to get into their homes and help empty and clean up their living areas. Canteens and volunteers will also be needed as drinks and sandwiches are delivered to work areas where cleanup crews and restoration is taking place.
Preliminary reports are showing that there could be as many as 107 dwelling places or more with major damage and another 639 homes with minor damage or water in basements.
We are under another FLOOD WATCH this evening until 10 AM on Monday as more storms are approaching our area.
Please pray for us, but especially for the many displaced families. Thanks! | 
