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The Almeda Fire: Rebuilding from the Ground up
As the dust from the Almeda Drive Fire settles, Southern Oregon's residents come together to provide support as the rebuild begins.
Jan 30, 2021
How Disaster Led to Sharing and Rebuilding focuses on how the Almeda Drive Fire forever changed the small towns in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley and the Harry & David family. Through sharing resources and interviews with residents and first responders, we’re dedicated to helping those affected by the wildfire that destroyed over 2,000 homes in our local community. 
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai3M4Kx9hhU[/embedyt]
“Imagine walking out of your house with just what you’re wearing, and maybe a cell phone
. And now you have to restart everything
.
”
That’s the stark reality
for the
thousands of people
who lost everything in
the
Almeda Drive Fire, as explained by Ashley Hughes,
the
Program Director at the Teresa McCormick Center
, a no
n
profit resource center in Medford, Oregon
.
The Sept. 8, 2020
fire
destroyed over 2,400 homes
in S
outhern Oregon
’s Rogue Valley
.
The smoke may have settled
,
but the rebuilding
process—
both
emotionally and physically—is just beginning
. “
The residents can’t go back to their house and sleep
,” Ashley
says
.
“
They have to start from scratch with what they were wearing. Some didn’t have insurance coverage. The need is so big for so many.”
Those needs are
being
met
in part
by the Teresa McCormick Center. Founded
by Harry & David
employee Teresa McCormick
in 2005 and renamed for
her
after she died of a brain aneurism in 2007,
the
c
enter
has
been assisting the
Medford
region
since 2009.
Among
its
many services,
it
offers
a food pantry, clothes
donations
, free tax
prep
aration
,
and refurbished
bicycles
.
The First Steps to Rebuilding
As
the
harsh
reality of the
fire’s devastation began to set in the next day
,
t
he center’s two employees—Ashley and Executive
Director
Amy Belkin—
and its
40 volunteers
wanted to
hit the ground running
.
B
ut
,
there
were
a lot of
logistical questions
.
“
How do we get in a vast amount of clothing
?
” Amy recalled. “
How do we get people housed? How do we help navigate the systems with the community to see who pays for what in an emergency?"
“In a situation like this
,
no one is prepared, no one knows what to do, where to go
,”
she
adds
.
“
The services aren’t sitting there waiting to swing into motion if there’s a disaster.
P
eople were desperate.”
The
c
enter
immediately started asking
people to donate
gift cards to Walmart
,
Fred Meyer
,
and other
grocery stores and
retailers
to replace
basic items
.
People needed food, prescriptions, diapers, slippers, and even nail files that, as Amy points out, "you don't realize is gone until you reach for it."
Amy notes that people lost much more than material items. They lost
family photos, ashes of loved ones on their mantle
,
and
other
irreplac
e
able
reminders of
their lives
.
“
They lost every piece of their life they knew
,” she says
.
We
knew Harry & David could help too. The
day after the fire
,
our
CEO Steve Lightman
set
up
a capital fund
.
Monetary donations started coming in from all over the country
and world
, even
as far away as
China
.
Of the $1 million goal,
$470,000 has been raised
so far
.
We’ve
also received numerous grant
s
.
All this money is going to
the Teresa McCormick
Center
, which is
distributi
ng the funds so
peopl
e can
stabilize
their lives
and figure out where they will be living
.
“People’s needs are constantly changing,” Ashley
says
. “Now, the season has changed
,
so how do
they
get warmer clothes and blankets
?
They’re wondering how they make a hotel work for the next six months. Some people are unsure what they really need.
S
ome put
money
toward a car
,
which was the next best home for some.
”
Once word spread of what was needed,
physical
donations started pouring in
, too
. Companies such as
Columbia Sportswear
,
Hanes
,
Talbots
,
Skechers
, and
Cariloha
Bamboo
donated clothing,
shoes,
and bedding.
Portland television
station
KGW gave away $5,000
in
new toys during the holidays.
Support System in Place
Medford
and the surrounding towns of Phoenix, Talent
,
and Ashland
not only came
together to share resources
, but also lend ears
. Residents
listened to each other’s stories and offered support as
they
tried
to
recover from the fire.
When asked about the
general sentiment in the
community
,
Ashley
sa
ys
there’s a lot of
heartbreak and heartache.
"People go through a lot of ups and down
,
people saying
,
‘
I’ll be OK,
’
then
, ‘O
h my gosh
,
everything is just not working out.
’
”
A
my adds:
“
The level of that continues to shake us and stop us in our tracks as we go forward and talk to people because this is not a disaster that you see and move on again. It will take years to rebuild.
P
eople’s
lives were shattered.
”
But t
he
region
’s residents are resilient.
“
This whole area has come together for these people and really backed them up
. It’s
going to be a constant need
,
and we’re going to have to carry these people
emotionally to make sure they’ll be ok
,”
Ashley says.
Working Toward the Future
There’s
also
a lot of fear and a lot of sadness.
“
This summer
will be the first summer after the fire
,
and it’ll be another tragic time for these people and for all of us
,” she says.
“
Is this going to happen again? What do we do to prepare ourselves? It’s a very traumatic incident. Loved ones were lost, pets were lost. There’s also a lot of strength and courage in these people."
Residents will have to be patient, too
.
Over the past four-plus months,
there have been groups and committees discussing how the rebuilding should happen, but, as Amy points out, “
W
e
still don’t know."
“I
t’s going to takes years
.
Some areas have been cleared
off
;
architecture plans are being submitted. Some people who had homes will be able to rebuild in the next few months
,” she says. “
There are so many areas that have not yet been touched by the cleanup.
It’s very helter-skelter."
No matter
how long
the rebuild
will take
,
residents are there
for each other
, Amy says.
“
Everyone is a lot more aware that people are suffering
,
and it
really takes all of us
in order
to hold that community
and rebuild the community
.
”
To support victims of the Almeda Fire, you can donate to the
Teresa McCormick Center.
T
hey’re committed to
continuing to
assist
and
provide
resources for all those affected by the wildfires
as the community works to recover and
rebuild
.
AUTHOR
Brooke Younker has been on Harry & David's Social Media team since 2019. Her dad started working at the company the week she was born, so she grew up touring the candy kitchen and enjoying all the Moose Munch she could eat. When she's not writing about Royal Riviera Pears, you can find her exploring new mountain trails, trying new Southern Oregon wineries, or hanging out at her local CrossFit gym.
