On April 10, the community of Penhold experienced what may be the worst disaster in its 110-year history. In some sort of bizarre barbecue/smoker unit accident, a fire was sparked that with alarming speed, burned the 18-unit apartment building at the south end of Penhold to the ground.
It was, by all accounts, a terrible scene. All of the belongings for every person, couple or family living in that building are completely gone. Gone. Nothing left. It's hard to grasp. It's a shock to see flat, black ashes where there once stood a three-storey building.
We are a small community of just over 2,500 people. Of course, a fire of this magnitude would be horrible in any community, but you'd think that a small town like ours, with fewer people and limited resources, would be completely overwhelmed. Not so! Although things did not go perfectly – what in life does? - all in all, the situation was masterfully handled.
An emergency centre, initially set up at Memorial Hall, became a hive of activity within two hours of the onset of the fire. Community members, in droves, began delivering food, clothing, bedding and other supplies to the community hall. Facebook lit up with community communications and became a critical part of transmitting important information in real time. The mayor, councillors, and staff all sprang into action, and no one went home early.
On the following Friday morning, more than 25 pickups turned up at the Memorial Hall to assist with moving the command centre to the Penhold Regional Multiplex. The hall was filled with people sorting and packing donations. Family Foods brought in food; volunteers cooked and cleaned and comforted.
It's hard to know how many people slipped in and out during the course of the day, since many never announced themselves, just quietly set about doing what needed to be done. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army and the Alberta Fire Commissioner's Office all swooped in to bring their resources to bear. People from other communities have rallied beside and behind us, offering food, shelter and other donations.
The generosity of our community and our region continues, and will be needed for the foreseeable future while the residents who lost everything try to recover. The devastating effects of a terrible scenario such as this can be far-reaching, and these folks need all of us to stay the course with them while they're facing these challenges.
But we can feel proud, too, because in the face of it, there's a triumph of community spirit, a conquering through compassion, proof that we still know how to be true neighbours. We won't stop helping, caring, giving.
It's easy to slide into disconnectedness and apathy, even negativity about community. On April 10, that terrible day, is a great reminder that we're all in this together and when push comes to shove, we've got each other's backs.
Danielle Klooster is a resident of Penhold and a former town councillor
