U.S. NEWS
"God is working it out for me" [Greg Pollowitz]
With not much good news coming out of Souther California, this article on the conditions at Qualcomm Stadium stands out. Whoever is in charge deserves much, much praise. An excerpt:
A good 9,000 peopleended up here, at Qualcomm Stadium, and if this was the endgame of a disaster, it would be a disaster that seemed possible only in the idyll of California.
There was a banh mi picnic in the parking lot, beef empanadas on the chow line, Caesar salads, cartons of fresh Starbucks House Blend, free magazines, toys for the kids, cots for grandma, pizza by the slice or, if you wished, the box. There was a man playing jazz guitar, a blues band, massages and acupuncture.
"It's better service than when you go to a restaurant," said Gary Potter of Rancho Penasquitos. "Every time you turn around, people are asking us if you need something — water, food, anything."
"They thought of everything," said Erin Kelley, his wife. She was particularly impressed by the massages being offered in the parking lot.
A steady stream of volunteers brought blankets, potato chips, diapers — anything they thought someone might need.
The center is being operated by the city of San Diego but almost everything consumed within it was donated.
The place was so opulent relative to the standards of disaster relief centers that for some it was an improvement in living conditions.
Earl Sanders looked out of a broken-down car he called home at 11:30 p.m. Monday and saw the mountain above Spring Valley, east of San Diego, on fire.
Sanders, disabled and homeless for about a year, grabbed his cane and belongings, which were shoved inside a trash bag. He put both in a shopping cart and walked to a nearby McDonald's.
"I had to evacuate, but I had no transportation and no money," he said. "I slept on the sidewalk in front of McDonald's and asked God what he had planned for me."
About 9 a.m. Tuesday, a good Samaritan gave him $5, enough for a bus ride to Grossmont Center in El Cajon and trolley fare to Qualcomm Stadium.
At 11 a.m., Sanders, 48, arrived at the stadium, where he was given a meal, a change of clothing, a cot and bedding.
"God is working it out for me," he said, tears streaming down his face.
10/24 11:31 AM
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