“ It’s nice to work with my hands in this way for a change.” LAUREN KING VOLUNTEER
Homeowner Kaylin Bertelsen with her sister Julie Hoglan.
MDS Crew Leader Lauren King from Archbold, Ohio, repairs the home of Maria & Roberto Rior.
It makes me feel good
Many of the residents in Planada affected by the flood have, like Bertelsen, continued to live in their badly damaged homes. MDS volunteers have repaired 40 homes, working in partnership first with Catholic Charities then with Habitat for Humanity. For Bertelsen, this house is home no matter what. As Charlie trots in, settling on his small dog bed, she smiled. “I pet him every chance I get,” she said. “I know I don’t have that many years left with him.” EXPRESSIONS OF CARE MDS volunteers have been getting to know the residents of Planada and learning new skills at the same time. Lauren King, from Archbold, Ohio, works back at home as a sign language interpreter and in hospital registration.
Charlie, a 14-year-old chihuahua, was sunning himself in the front yard. His owner, Kaylin Bertelsen, led the way past him into her damaged home in Planada. In a tumble of words, she recalled the night of Jan. 9, 2023, when floodwaters overtook her home—along with more than 800 others—in the unincorporated community in California’s San Joaquin Valley. “It started raining, and at first the
two cats, and Charlie. He is my best friend.” She tried to sleep but by the wee morning hours, the sheriff was knocking on her door: they had to get out. “Then the water was up above my knees,” she said. Driving her large truck, she got her mother and her animals to safety. “By the time we got out to the highway, they had snowplows moving walls of water out of the way for lines of cars waiting to get out. After our line got through, they had to use canoes to rescue people,” said Bertelsen, who is grateful they all made it out alive. Volunteers from MDS have been repairing her home. Among other major repairs, they installed a countertop and sink so she doesn’t have to wash dishes in the bathtub anymore—something she did for more than a month.
After two long years, people of Planada, California, start to smile again.
water was just up to the curb,” she said. “I didn’t want to leave—I had my mother here, two cats, my mother’s
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behind the hammer
behind the hammer
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