Monroe-Woodbury High School shelters Irene evacuees

District opens building when storm hinders Red Cross effort CENTRAL VALLEY — For the first time ever, Monroe-Woodbury High School was used as a shelter for Hurricane Irene evacuees for more than 50 hours from this past Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon. According to Bill Blosser, the district’s director of buildings and grounds, the high school was opened about 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning to accommodate an initial 30 to 35 people seeking shelter. The number of evacuees varied during the time the shelter remained open and Blosser estimated the average around 25 for the duration. The high school was selected because it had a generator if the power went out. It did, he said, for about 12 hours. “The Red Cross just couldn’t make it,” said Blosser on Tuesday afternoon. “There were so many roads that were closed.” The shelter was closed at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with any evacuees still on site taken to the Red Cross’ shelter at Taft Elementary in Washingtonville. Food service and buses Had Red Cross staff been able to make it, Blosser said, he expected the first venue to be used would have been the fire department, followed by the middle school. Red Cross staff offered the use of a trailer stocked with cots and other necessary supplies, he added, and the district sent a seasoned driver with a good sense of the area roads to handle its pickup. “We would not have been able to do this without that trailer from the Red Cross,” Blosser said. The round trip from Central Valley to Middletown took four hours. With assistance from Aldis Anons, the district’s food services director, food was provided, said Blosser, adding Walmart also provided items. Cliff Berchtold, the district’s transportation director, dispatched two large school buses to pick up about 30 people, he said. Veteran drivers who knew the roads - including alternate routes - maneuvered the buses around closed and wet roads. Security And handling the check-in and other duties normally handled by Red Cross staff was Frank Squillante, the district’s director of safety and security. Evacuees slept in the upper gym/wrestling room, with the lecture room used as sitting areas. “We wanted to make sure the community (who needed shelter) was safe, comfortable and felt welcome,” said Blosser. “We didn’t want to turn anyone away. It was a team effort. Between our four departments, and with that trailer, we can literally do anything the Red Cross does.” - Nancy Kriz