Coffey Strong leader offers Redding residents insight on fire recovery
Okrepkie, himself a fire survivor and a leader in
"They were very much like us a month after the fire," said Okrepkie, chairman of the Coffey Strong neighborhood group. "They didn't know what they needed to know."
Okrepkie and another fire survivor who took part in the evening presentation "can relate to our residents on an emotional level," McElvain said.
The idea of survivors helping survivors is nothing new to
In the aftermath of last fall's
Then in July the Carr fire hit
McElvain has known Okrepkie for at least a decade through their membership in the Active 20-30 Club, of which Okrepkie is now the national president. The councilman said he asked his friend to come make a presentation focused on what fire survivors need to know in the first three months after the blaze.
"The whole city is going through the grieving process," McElvain said.
A solid month of smoke, including at least two weeks with hazardous air quality, has provided a regular reminder of the destruction.
"We had a month of red sun and orange sky, so it was pretty dismal," he said last week, before the nearby Delta fire erupted, closing
Okrepkie went to
Okrepkie said he urged those who lost homes to band together for a stronger recovery.
"You need somebody to commiserate with," he recalled saying. "Otherwise it will eat you up."
He also cautioned fire survivors against moving too quickly to rebuild. In
Beside Okrepkie and Nagpal,
"I can't tell you how beneficial that was for us to learn from you in
___
(c)2018 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Visit The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) at www.pressdemocrat.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Horry County, MB declare state of emergency as Florence regains hurricane status
Medicare cuts payments to Oklahoma City surgery center
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News