Volunteers show true Drumheller spirit during flood
In adversity, often the true spirit of a person or entire community is revealed.
Residents showed the indomitable spirit and fellowship of Drumheller during the recent flood crisis.
“We heard of and witnessed so many different ways volunteers pitched in. It certainly demonstrates the best any community has to offer,” said Councillor Jay Garbutt. “I think we’re all overwhelmed with just how phenomenally people stepped up.”
As early as Friday, residents were asking where they could help. It wasn’t until Saturday morning when the call for volunteers was made, but it didn’t take long for residents to show up and help.
When sandbags needed to be filled, volunteers poured into the IGA parking lot to help. So many showed up, they often ran out of bags or sand.
“It needs to get done. Everybody chipping in makes for a better Drumheller,” said volunteer Keith Hudson.
Even Drumheller’s summer residents chipped in.
“I saw what was going on in Calgary and, because I’ve never seen flooding at home in Ontario, I thought it would be a good chance to help out and get involved in the community. We were sent home from work, so I thought I should put it to good use” said Shawna Butts, a summer employee with the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
The Town set up a volunteer coordination centre in Greentree Mall, where volunteers continually stopped by to offer their aid.
“We would get calls about where volunteers were needed, so we could refer to our list. We had 20 volunteers go out to East Coulee and help sandbag. We had another 15 go to Midland to assist there. The support has been amazing. We’ve really come together as a community,” said Cathy Smoliak, who was helping to coordinate volunteers.
Other residents helped out in other ways. Businesses donated food and items to the evacuation centre and residents opened their homes to give those who were evacuated a place to stay.
Fire Departments, RCMP members, and others from outside the community came to Drumheller’s aid.
“The people manning the barricades overnight were a lot of volunteer firefighters from outside our community. They were all phenomenal. It’s impossible to overstate how much everyone contributed from inside and outside the community. The Hutterite community was again a group that could be counted on when the chips were down and they expected nothing in return,” said Garbutt. “We’re incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by people who are there for you when things are bad.”
Dozens of volunteers showed up to fill sandbags at the IGA parking lot on Saturday, June 22. So many came out that there were a few shortages of bags and sand. The community came together during the crisis and volunteers filled sandbags, manned barricades, and helped shield homes from the flood. mailphoto by Michael James
