By Friday afternoon, a shelter at White Pass School in Randle had been set up by Lewis County Public Health & Social Services (LCPHSS) for evacuees fromthe Goat Rocks Fire. Interim Director Meja Handlen was running the show with support from the Salvation Army Centralia providing meals and cots and staff provided by American Red Cross. That night, the shelter housed 59 individuals. The number dwindled throughout the weekend, with 18 still staying there by Sunday.
Debbie Broom, who lives in the lower Timberline area north of U.S. Highway 12 with her husband of 51 years, Jeff Broom, said she received the evacuation message followed by a knock on the door an hour later.
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” Debbie Broom said. “We grabbed clothes, toiletries, meds, each other and that’s about it.”
That night, she and her husband slept in their vehicles and had dinner at the shelter. The next two nights, they were able to rent a room and continued having meals at White Pass School. Through the experience, one positive Debbie Broom mentioned was the chance to meet more of her neighbors.
