The wind and the heat took a wayward spark generated that June day and quickly blew it into an inferno that consumed forty homes in Niland, CA. Deep in the heart of Imperial County, Niland is a small town in a large desert, that consistently has the highest unemployment rate in the entire country.

On that day, the residents of Niland, with little to their names before the fire, lost everything they had. The families that watched their town burn were given vouchers for short term stays in local hotels and motels, but those vouchers don’t last forever.

FEMA stepped in with offers of trailers, IF the land is cleared of the twisted metal, debris and ash. So, to help the citizens of Niland, county representatives called Team Rubicon to respond, and respond they did. They quickly realized the job they had agreed to was more than they could accomplish alone.

Cue CA Southern Baptist Disaster Response. Our team of 10 men, deployed to the Calipatra Baptist Church just a few miles down the road from Niland, and, partnering with Team Rubicon, used a combination of heavy equipment and hand tools to clear the properties of the remaining debris.

The conditions were grueling with temperatures ranging from a peak of 111 degrees by noon and a balmy 87 degrees at night. The dust and the ash that the breezes kicked up made a difficult deployment worse. At one point, the entire team was evacuated from the area when a previously undiscovered gas line emerged from under the debris and the fire department had to be called in. And the same drill was repeated the next day when yet another gas line surfaced at another home site. Watch video footage taken by our DR Drone, Amelia, of the work that took place.

There was no opportunity to minister to the survivors who were housed miles away, and the one comment from a resident of Niland, when approached by one of our team offering prayer and a Bible, responded with, “I can’t believe you’re doing this for free. You guys are crazy.”  Did our team answer the call? Yes, they did. Did our team show the love of Christ? Absolutely. And CSBCDR would and will respond to anyone and everyone that needs our help. But let’s look at the other story that came out of Niland: the partnership with Team Rubicon. Below is an article about Team Rubicon and what their mission statement is because this writer is certain: what you think you know about Team Rubicon is - well – wrong!

It was 3 months before it really hit. He had been laid off in a downsizing. No fault of his own, but still out of work. At first things were OK. He was close to retiring anyway, and now he had time to finish all the projects and get stuff done. And when “the stuff” was all done, there during the days of sitting without much activity, it hit: the realization that he had become irrelevant.

That can happen when you leave a position that is important, a position that means something to people, not just yourself. It happens when one moment you are the protector, when you are the line in the sand, when what you do and who you are benefits all people that you care about. So when that day comes when you aren’t that person anymore, like when you leave the Military… the irrelevance can grab you by the throat and never lets go. And it invades much more quickly when you leave with PTSD, or medical issues, or find yourself with no clear direction for what to do next.

Enter Team Rubicon. From a distance, sure, they do Disaster Relief, and they’re good at it. But news flash: It’s not their primary purpose. From the Team Rubicon website: “Through continued service, Team Rubicon seeks to provide our veterans with three things they lose after leaving the military: a Purpose, gained through disaster relief; Community, built by serving with others; and Identity, from recognizing the impact that one individual can make. Coupled with leadership development and other opportunities, Team Rubicon looks to help veterans transition from military to civilian life.

This writer has had more than one encounter with Team Rubicon. Of course, I have a biased opinion that CSBCDR does Disaster Relief MUCH better than Team Rubicon. :o)))) But, I have found them to be welcoming and supportive of other teams in the field, and they perform well in difficult DR environments... all the while, bombarding the beachhead of irrelevance with the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of veterans.

Team Rubicon… Mission Accomplished.

"Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!"   Gomer Pyle, Mayberry, USA

It was an “easy” cleanup. The team in Niland was asked to clear a lot burned to the ground so a FEMA trailer could replace the home that once stood there. It was easy because it was almost done. The hard part is removing the metal. Then the pad can be scraped with the Skid Steer and the “Ground Crew” keeps everything watered down and cleans up after. In this case the metal had been piled by Team Rubicon in the center of the lot. All that was needed was to get it all into the recycle bins. So the Skid Steers went to work.

Half way through the pile one of the machines hit an unseen pipe that had been buried in the pile of metal and protruding up through the concrete pad. The pipe bent 90 degrees and split. Immediately the sound and smell of escaping gas filled the area. Any spark from static electricity, metal scraping against metal, or from the engine of the Skid Steer, would have been catastrophic.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. God is Good. The Clean Up team moved 3 times. Once away from the pile, the Second was off the lot when the Safety team showed up, and the third was down the block; then the Fire Department arrived. The Fire Department took control, sealed the leak and turned off the gas to the lot. Catastrophe averted.

The Obvious Lesson Learned here is ASK QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME. Don’t take anything for granted! Doing Disaster Relief is dangerous. And letting your guard down can be costly. Questions need to be asked. Is the gas / water turned off? Is this lot on the sewer or septic tank? Where EXACTLY is the septic tank? NEVER EVER open a refrigerator! EVER! Are we authorized to go onto this lot? Is a mask required or just good to have? It’s hot out here…How is the team doing? Does the team know they are responsible for not only themselves, but each other as well? Questions, albeit thought ever so unimportant, are all that stand between us and an unwelcome “Surprise!”

Wild land fires are getting so common in California, we barely think of individuals and their losses. We’ve gotten to that global mentality that talks about how many structures have been lost, how many injuries there are, and how many fatalities have occurred. The news reports the destruction in dollars and yet, for the individual, the loss is measured in irreplaceable mementos and the memories they represent.

I met a little boy after one of these fires. He was poking around the ashes, looking for toys or anything he could salvage. He talked about how scary it was to run away from the flames, how brave they all had to be, and how the nice people in the shelter took care of them. I listened as he told me about his collection of Star Wars “stuff” that’s all gone now, his Nintendo DS that “probably got burned up, too,” and his favorite Star Wars shirt.

He wasn’t grieving the loss of his bed, backpack, or homework. In his own way, he was grieving the loss of things that were important to him. He sniffled as he remembered.

As we minister to those who have suffered and lost so much, it will be important to listen as they tell us what was important to them. I’ve never met someone who grieved the loss of a refrigerator or sofa. They have told me about those pictures that will never be replaced, the dried flowers from their fiftieth anniversary, and the flag that they got when their son was killed in Afghanistan. As we listen to the story, we help people find meaning in their treasured losses. They find healing in memories. Never underestimate the value of a memory.

Naomi Paget, Director/Instructor, CSBCDR Chaplain Program

In 2016, CSBCDR responded to an area not too far from Niland, CA, another fire ravaged community with grieving people trying to recover any artifact of their lives they could. CSBCDR responded and during their first week of deployment met Bill Cronkite, a 60 year old retired vet, who asked for help in recovering something very precious. His son, Brud Joseph Cronkite, a Marine, had lost his life during the Iraq War, and had been awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart posthumously. His father Bill was desperate to find these mementos of his son’s sacrifice for our country.

After hours and days of scouring the home site, the team was only able to recover one badly damaged medal. The CSBCDR team was not content with this outcome, and reached out to MCAS Miramar for assistance. On the last day of deployment, gathered around the flag pole where Bill’s flag had miraculously survived the fire and still, on this day, waved proudly, the team presented dad with a Bronze Star, A Purple Heart and a flag that had proudly waved over MCAS Miramar in honor of the ultimate sacrifice of his son, Brud Joseph Cronkite. You can watch the video of this incredible moment.

You can read more about the DR operation and can watch a Facebook Live event recorded on August 27 from Lighthouse Baptist Church in Seaside, the team's base of operation.

Your gifts always are appreciated. To support DR efforts, you can donate online, or you can send a check designated for Disaster Relief to CSBC, 678 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno 93710.

Courses Sponsored by K-LOVE, taught by Naomi Paget: Registration/Info Website

Enhancing Resilience

Please consider sending your stories, articles, thoughts, suggestions and LOTS OF PHOTOS to Jayne Bauer at jbauer@csbc.com. This is a team effort! Won’t you join with us?!

Disaster Relief Contributions are gratefully accepted and help underwrite CSBC's current or future response to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc., in California, nearby states or mission partnership countries.

DRone is a monthly publication of California Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief to inform and encourage DR team members and friends as we serve together to bring help, hope and healing to a hurting world during a time of crisis. Questions/comments about DRone should be directed to Jayne McClung Bauer, jbauer@csbc.com.

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DR Director: Mike Bivins, 916-673-7622

Editor: Jayne McClung Bauer, DR Communications Coordinator, 707-689-4501

Contributors: Dawn Fulkerson, Neils Johnson