Thursday, January 21, 2010

When storm-related mandatory evacuations were decreed in La Crescenta and Glendale on Wednesday, January 20, the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Red Cross opened a shelter at Glendale Civic Auditorium to receive community members displaced from their homes.   Red Cross volunteer and Shelter Manager Mike Duarte opened the shelter at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and oversaw staffing and setup; by 9 a.m. the City of Glendale was notified that the shelter was open for business.

In addition to Red Cross personnel, city employees are helping to keep the Auditorium in operation, and representatives of Pasadena Humane Society are also on hand to assist evacuees unable to locate alternate shelter for their pets.  The pets have been and will be transported to Pasadena Humane Society headquarters in Pasadena, where they will be cared for, free of charge, until the evacuation orders are lifted.

Local businesses offered their support to the shelter and its clients.  Ralphs Market in La Crescenta provided snacks, water and pastries.  State Farm Insurance sponsored Thursday’s lunch from Subway and sent a representative on-site to address customers’ concerns about their property insurance.  The Olive Garden Restaurant in Glendale also offered to provide dinner for the shelter.

Glendale Civic Auditorium is well suited to serve as a shelter, with ample space, climate control, parking, and a big-screen television on which clients can watch the latest news to stay informed.

Although the turnout has been light so far, Red Cross volunteers staffed and are continuing to staff the shelter, 24 hours a day as long as they are needed.   If the situation worsens and more residents are displaced, Duarte expressed confidence that the Red Cross could accommodate them, opening additional shelters if needed.  “We have the supplies and personnel,” he affirms.

Pictured in photo:

Front row, left to right:  Red Cross volunteers Kathie Riedel, Mike Barnes, Mike Duarte (shelter manager), Jennifer Flynn-Duarte.  Two shelter residents look on from the back row.