Stockton Sikh temple opens its door to Oroville evacuees

STOCKTON — In the middle of an abrupt evacuation, facing a line of taillights stretching over the horizon, truck driver Sarbjit Singh knew that when it was finally over he would find a place of peace and serenity.

Five hours after leaving Yuba City, he and his wife, Sukhbir Kaur, arrived at the Sikh temple in south Stockton at 12:30 a.m. Monday. Even at that hour, the couple was immediately greeted at the historic “gurdwara” by hosts who showed them to their room and prepared a meal for them.

On Tuesday afternoon, Oroville evacuees finally got the OK to return home. But the graciousness of the Sikh community helped keep things in perspective.

“We can’t complain,” Singh said. “It’s under God’s control.”

Gurdwaras across the region opened their doors for Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike as an emergency spillway at Oroville Dam threatened to give way late Sunday. More than 180,000 people were ordered to evacuate.

Thousands of Sikhs call Yuba City home.

Many Sikhs fleeing the potential flood may have stopped at gurdwaras closer to their homes, but about a dozen people sought refuge in Stockton.

Bhupinder Singh was nervous when a message on his phone alerted him to the possible catastrophe Sunday. He and his family spent a couple of hours packing the car before leaving.

“Here, it’s safe,” he said Monday. “There is a peace that’s here. It is a safe place. This is a source of spirituality for us and all of the community members are helping us.”

In the case of the earlier couple, it was good fortune that Sarbjit Singh — a long-haul trucker — had returned home on Saturday and was there to help when the evacuation order was issued. Less happily, he said Monday that he might be forced to leave his wife at the Stockton temple so that he could go pick up another load on time.

Making things worse, their phone was not working, making it hard to reach family members or find out what was happening at the dam.

“We are so confused about what we can do,” Kaur said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

But, she added, “We’re thankful to God for saving us.”