Local Red Cross prepares disaster plan of Olympic proportions

DEAN KAHN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

I'm not convinced the Winter Olympics north of the border will have a large and lasting impact on Whatcom County, but, hey, I could be wrong.

But there is one clear benefit I'm aware of. Because a natural or man-made disaster during the Olympics could slam the border tight, the Mt. Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross has put together a plan to house and feed several thousand people for several days.

Such a plan will come in mighty handy later if, say, Mount Baker erupts, a typhoon decides to visit, or floods here reach truly biblical proportions.

Sheltering thousands of people is a far cry from a typical local disaster, usually a flood or fire, in which the Red Cross might care for dozens to a few hundred folks.

"Generally, when we open a shelter, it's for hundreds, not thousands," said Maureen Enegren, executive director of the chapter, which covers Whatcom County and Skagit Valley.

It might not be likely, but a terrorist attack, a hazardous-materials spill, or some other nasty incident during the Olympics' Feb. 12-28 run in British Columbia could leave thousands of people stranded in the county if officials decide to seal the border.

To be ready, the Red Cross has spent the past several years planning and training for such a scenario, and has developed details to shelter and feed up to 3,000 people for three days.

"Hopefully, within that 72 hours, FEMA would be stepping in to help," Enegren said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

During local floods, the Red Cross usually shelters people in churches, schools and community centers, that sort of place.

To house people stranded during the Olympics, the Red Cross has agreements with five locales that are close to Interstate 5 and that have sufficient kitchen, sleeping, bathroom and shower facilities. Enegren won't publicly identify the sites until a disaster hits.

Sleeping accommodations wouldn't be plush, just a cot and a blanket.

Nurses who volunteer for the Red Cross would be on hand at each of the five sites, too.

For meals, the Red Cross always keeps water, coffee and a modest amount of food stockpiled, and has pre-planned menus and places to shop for mountains of groceries on short notice.

It's one thing to buy breakfast to-go at McDonald's for dozens of firefighters dousing the blaze at Whatcom Middle School, and quite another to prepare three squares a day for several thousand people. For really big crowds, the Red Cross would supplement its roster of volunteer cooks with people from community groups familiar with whipping up meals on a large scale.

Let's hope the planning, training and stockpiling won't be needed during the Olympics. But all of that work will pay dividends if disaster strikes later.

"The preparedness we undergo 364 days a year gets us ready for that one day a year," Enegren said.

The challenge is, you don't know when that day will come.