Volunteering for Butte County recovery efforts
The last weekend of March 2019 was not an ordinary one; I had the pleasure of meeting a team of amazing people who, along with my partner, Ron, had decided to volunteer some of our time to support the community impacted by last year’s overwhelming wildfires at Butte County. Driving along Skyway Road towards our destination, it was heart-breaking to see the devastation caused by the fire on both sides of the road; nothing I had heard or watched on the news prepared me for something like that, but at the same time my desire to help was exponentially strengthened as we drove along.
During my stay at the Magalia Community Church compound, which incredibly survived the rage of the fires, a lot of work was awaiting for us. The work included drying and putting away dishes in the commercial kitchen where food is prepared for fire victims, staff and volunteers, moving and organizing donated clothes and food so fire victims easily find and take what they need, and raking the front of the property to make it look hospitable for visitors.
Like the rest of my BRMA teammates, my field and daily job relates to business continuity and disaster recovery. This volunteer opportunity however, gave me a first-hand experience of the dreadful consequences of a disaster and provided me with a humbling human perspective to the path to recovery from one of these events.
After serving the families that lost everything as a result of the wildfires, I like to think that they know that there is hope and they are not alone.
Thanks,
Norma Ortiz
IT Solutions Engineer, Expert – IT Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery
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