More than 500 Cots Set Up at Holmdel High School - Patch.com
By Saturday afternoon, the doors of Holmdel High School were opening every few minutes, as singles and small groups of worried-looking Bayshore residents entered to join more than 250 residents displaced by the threat of Hurricane Irene.
Holmdel was one of the Red Cross's three Monmouth County shelters. The others were in Wall Township and Colts Neck.
A Red Cross volunteer welcomed them at a lunchtable, and took information on a form. Caged pets were directed to the Chorale Room, where they could be housed away from the din. The guests were shown orderly rows of cots set up in the two gymnasiums, waiting to be claimed.
Some were apprehensive by the noise and the overwhelming numbers of strangers. Linda O'Carroll, 20, of Union Beach, dragging on a cigarette outside the Salvation Army Truck at the entrance, vowed not to close her eyes. "I don't want to sleep next to other people," she said. She said she had to come to the shelter to accompany her mother, who was recovering from back surgery.
Holmdel High School was chosen by emergency coordinators because it is on high ground, has a generator in case power fails, and can potentially accommodate 1500 people said Township Business Administrator Ray Wilson. Since 5 p.m. Friday night, dozens of uniformed officials, medical personnel and helpers were doing their best to make it better for their guests who heeded evacuation orders.
The organizers were caught a little off guard as the first guests arrived quickly -- Keansburg residents evacuated at 3 p.m. -- but by Saturday everything was going more smoothly.
"We've had storms, of course, but we've never run a shelter before," said Wilson.
At lunchtime, local volunteers helping the Salvation Army served up a hot lunch of hot dogs, chocolate chip cookies and Kool-Aid. They had prepared for 200, but had to adjust quickly to serve more than 400 meals. Rusty Eichmann-Hicks, the pastor of the Holmdel Community Church, and his family were among the servers. Dinner would be hamburgers. The volunteers struggled to fix food for diabetics and at least one vegetarian.
Adults chatted while they ate and watched Channel 7 news on the loud, large screen TV. Children dashed between wheelchairs, playing tag. Two girls had set up an iPod and played cards. Another made sketches on white paper.
Down the hall, Holmdel Township School District Director of Operations Jody Karcher had volunteered to oversee the pet room - a quiet refuge in the Chorale room. "It's my building," she said, by way of explanation. "The people in here are fabulous. They are really trying to do the best they can in the situation." By 3 p.m., she had taken in 14 cats, 5 parakeets, 10 dogs and one crab. Nearly all of the animals were in cages or zipped up baby strollers. Some of the cats were too skittish and had been placed in other office spaces. Owners had to knock on the locked doors to visit their pets. They hugged their pets, and walked them in the back of the building.
SPCA Chief of Police Victor "Buddy" Amato arrived with uniformed members of the SPCA Humane Police in an army vehicle to drop off pet food. He was concerned that the schools would have to start turning away pets. "We have an overflow shelter at 119 Dutch Lane Road, in Freehold," he said. But owners would have to drive
28 Aug, 2011--
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