Hometown heroes: Here’s how SLO County residents are helping out after severe storms
As the Axios Finish Line newsletter shared in early December, heroes matter.
“That inspiration we get from heroes makes a difference,” the newsletter said. “Having a hero — someone to look up to — can motivate us and make hard times easier.”
Life without a hero surely would lack something vitally important.
There are, of course, well-known heroes in sports, entertainment, politics and religion. There are cartoon and comic book superheroes.
Those are fine and dandy, but I especially admire our home-grown stars.
Lately, San Luis Obispo County has been packed with ̛em.
There have been so many people helping others that we can’t keep track of them all.
SLO County heroes help after storms
During the recent series of severe storms that hit SLO County, our hometown heroes were voluntarily assisting others whose properties and lives had been seriously disrupted, damaged or destroyed by heavy rains and high winds.
Folks showed up with shovels, brooms, strong backs and stronger wills to help. They brought food, water and what is for many the elixir of life under duress, coffee.
And they brought hope.
For those who’d endured losses in the storms, hope was in short supply.
Homes and businesses were inundated with mud and water. Jobs were shut down, commerce halted. Schools were shuttered, electricity was off and water quality was threatened.
Then the friends showed up. And neighbors. And strangers. All of them were prepared to do whatever they could to make things better.
They mucked out the mud and goo; ripped up rugs and flooring and hauled ruined belongings to the curb. When all that was done, they cleaned — floor to ceiling.
Cleanup efforts continue in SLO County
Flood recovery is a very long process. Some of our neighbors countywide are still feeling the pain, along with a healthy dose of thankfulness for all the kindness shown to them.
Nancy Castle of Morro Bay said her recovery is going more than six weeks after her house was damaged by flooding.
Even after volunteers including outgoing Morro Bay city manager Scott Collins rallied to help her, Castle wrote on Feb. 22 that “the house is still a mess, and I’m depressed. Some days are better than others.”
She expressed thankfulness for the many people who have helped her.
Elsewhere, nonprofit organizations, roadworkers and state and local agencies teamed up to get groceries and medicines to people trapped by the Polar Star slide that closed a significant stretch of Highway 1.
Other helpful heroes buckled down in a heartbreaking search for a San Miguel boy who was swept away by floodwaters.
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Helping out is Central Coast tradition
Helping out is a Central Coast tradition, from the pioneers who raised barns to the women who stood on cliffs trying to spot enemy submarines during World War II.
I vividly remember tidal waves of helpful responses after the 2003 San Simeon earthquake, numerous Highway 1 closures, the Chimney and Dolan wildfires and the March 1995 flood that buried Cambria’s West Village business district under many feet of water.
Not only did friends, neighbors and professionals show up to dig the town out after the floodwaters receded, but some visiting motel guests also went to the local hardware store, bought shovels, brooms and cleaning supplies and then helped.
It’s lovely to know we haven’t lost that urge to support others. It’s such an essential glue in holding any community together.
Fundraisers raise money for needy
Local groups are organizing fundraisers to help others both near and far away.
One fundraiser to help those affected by the Los Osos mudslide was held a week after the flood, when Next Life band performed at Niffy’s Merrimaker in Los Osos.
Next up was the Digging Deep Los Osos Disaster Relief Concert on Sunday, which showcased five bands and a silent auction at the South Bay Community Center in Los Osos. The event raised money to be shared between 25 households in the North Coast community affected by flooding.
Organizers pledge that every penny raised will be distributed through the nonprofit South Bay Seniors People Helping People..
Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Morro Bay is hosting a fundraiser on Tuesday, March 7, to assist survivors of massive earthquakes in Turkey. These people are also weathering a brutal winter, often without housing, food or other necessities.
For Rotary Club President John Solu, a native of Turkey, the fundraising effort is very personal.
Rotarians are teaming up with two Morro Bay businesspeople — Ibriham Abuhilal of Grape Leaf restaurant and Linna Thomas of Coalesce Book Store & Garden Chapel — to hold the benefit.
The Rotary Club of Ankara, Turkey, is currently leading aid efforts on the ground. Donations will be sent through Rotary International to the Ankara Club District 2430, with the money earmarked exclusively to aid survivors in the ravaged areas.
Kudos to all the organizers, performers, donors and attendees. Noble goals, with some fun and camaraderie attached.
Pick your heroes wisely
Yes, some obvious heroes may be superstars who set athletic and entertainment goals and then achieve them in spectacular fashion.
Yet there are others working in other fields who deserve our adulation.
The true hero category should include brave first responders, rescuers, military service members, nurses, teachers, roadworkers, journalists and utility crew members who climb poles and dig ditches in howling winds and rain, as well as the wonderful volunteers and donors who feed and help the needy.
When it comes time to dole out hero worship, let’s remember to award a big chunk to the quieter kind of hero, the one who arrives in a time of need and restores our faith in the humanity of strangers.
If the rest of us just say “thank you” to those helpers, I’ll bet that could go a long way toward restoring their faith in the people they so willingly and generously help.
Remember — each of us has the ability to be a hero. To make a difference to one other person or an entire community, we just need to help.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 5:35 AM.
