Lois Wenger serves breakfast to volunteers in Paradise, California.
“Not only did they fix my house, they lifted my spirits. They kept me from being overwhelmed.”
– SAM PERERA, PRINCETON, BC
House completed by MDS volunteers in Paradise.
volunteer experience
homeowner experience
For Sam Perera of Princeton, British Columbia, it was a case of really bad timing. Originally from Vancouver, Perera bought a riverside house in that southeastern B.C. town in October 2021—a place he could afford in a community he intended to call his new home. “I had a good salary as a bus driver, but Vancouver was so expensive,” he said. About a month after the purchase, the nearby Tulameen and Similkameen rivers overtopped their dikes during a period of historic rain and flooding. “There was a metre [3 feet] of water in my house,” he said when he finally got to Princeton to see the damage. “It totally turned my life upside down.” “I thought I had planned carefully, done my budgeting, done all the calculations in the universe, but this was beyond my control,” he said. After the water receded, he cleaned the mud and muck out of his house and tried to start repairs on his own. “It was beyond my ability,” he said, noting he had no money, no job and a mortgage to pay. “There were so many things that needed to be done,” he said. “I thought my head would explode from thinking about it so much.” Downcast and worried about the future, he contacted the City of Princeton for help. They told him to contact Walter Wiebe, project director for MDS Canada, who told him not to worry—some people would come to help. “It really feels like home”
Loss and hope in Paradise
“overwhelming.” Those residents (and others) have been busy! The clearing of debris that didn’t go up in smoke. The cutting and clearing of dead trees that fell or were going to fall (with many more to go). The grinding of stumps where trees have been cut. The installation of underground utilities. The repairing of roads that melted beneath the burning cars. The building of new houses where old ones had stood. (Since early 2021, over 2,000 building permits have been issued.) The feelings of the people are overwhelming, too. Many lost most or all of their possessions. Some lost family members, too. Everyone lost neighbors, friends, and coworkers. And yet, some people’s houses were miraculously spared. Those folks struggle with feelings of guilt. “Why should I have everything when my neighbor has nothing?” Emotions run close to the surface. From anger at the power company for negligent maintenance practices that caused the fire, to frustration in dealing with insurance companies, to worry over the next job or paycheck or mortgage payment, to extreme sadness accompanying loss. MDS has been a presence in Paradise for several years. But what MDS has done has been one minute drop in a very gigantic bucket. But that drop has been important, especially for the people it fell on! Sign up for working in Paradise, and be overwhelmed. — Lois Wenger of Port Henry, New York
Reflections from volunteer cook Lois Wenger.
“I can’t thank them enough,” Perera said of the volunteers who repaired his house. “They arrived at a time when I was so emotionally down. Not only did they fix my house, they lifted my spirits. They kept me from being overwhelmed.” Along with putting in new walls, floors, doors and a bathroom, the volunteers discovered the house wasn’t properly insulated; they fixed that, too. “There were all kinds of things that needed fixing,” Perera said. “They did so much work.” When he thinks back to those early days after the flood, he’s amazed at how far things have come. “I don’t know how I could have got to this place without the help of MDS,” he said, adding quietly, “I don’t know where I would be.” Today he lives in a beautiful house. “Everything is neat, nice and functional,” he said. “It really feels like a home.” Perera is also out job-hunting; he’s got another interview lined up. “I am very hopeful,” he said. Of the volunteers—people he now considers friends— Perera said: “I never knew these kinds of people existed, people who wanted to help, who had nothing but good wishes for me. They changed me, changed my whole way of looking at things. Now I ask myself, ‘what can I do to contribute to others?’” – John Longhurst
How would I describe my visit to Paradise, California? In a word, overwhelming! Much has been said about Paradise and the fire that took place there November 8, 2018. Much has been written. But to be there in person trumps all. So much has been lost, never to be regained, a loss that is not measurable in monetary terms. Yes, there are people filtering back. The town that once had over 26,000 residents now has about 5,000, three and a half years after the devastating fire. And that’s another part of
MDS summer youth volunteers
10 behind the hammer
behind the hammer 11
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