Volunteers assist with storm clean up in Marysville
The Bethel Global Response Team, based out of Redding, prepared last week to help clean up damage expected in that city after a snowstorm. The area received snow but not the damage that was expected. So they looked for somewhere else to help.
Response manager John Limas lived in the Yuba City/ Marysville area for 30 years and saw through social media that the windstorm in Marysville left downed trees and branches.
The team is one of the ministries from the Bethel Church in Redding and specializes in working with disaster situations. Limas said the team has assisted in Mozambique, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. Closer to home the team has assisted with the Cascade Fire in Loma Rica, the Camp Fire in Paradise and the Carr Fire in Redding.
“Northern California sure keeps us busy,” Limas said.
Limas worked for the Yuba City Fire Department for 27
years and helped establish the Marysville Fire Department after Cal Fire had previously serviced the city, according to Limas. The Bethel team is made up of employees and volunteers that are trained to deal with disaster situations.
Limas made contact with the city through a local church and councilman Dom Belza to see if the city needed assistance with clean up. At first, it seemed as though most of the damage was on private property. However, damage discovered at Riverfront Park led the team to come down.
“We never just show up in the community that is involved in the disaster,” Limas said. “We try to make a connection either through the faith based community or through local government.”
An eight-person team, along with vehicles, equipment, saws and chippers assisted with cleanup of the park on Wednesday and Thursday last week, according to a news release from the Marysville Fire Department.
“Several large down trees were cut up and chipped throughout the area,” the release stated. “Their volunteer work freed up the public works staff and saved the city considerable money mitigating the hazardous trees.”
Limas said the team always does its work for free and is funded through the Bethel Church.
“I felt quite confident in our team responding down there,” Limas said. “... It was a good report from our team.”
The Marysville Fire Department provided meals to the team members on the first day and The Bridge 530 church group provided sleeping accommodations, according to the release.