Catch Our Drift: The Best of Erie On Display

Contributed

The EverGIVE Tree at Blasco Library awaits more donations of hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves. The items are available for free for library patrons. Library staffers and their families also keep a basket at the circulation desk filled with items for patrons in need.

The day after Thanksgiving, we cruised back to Erie from Maryland without so much as a traffic tie-up, only to drive our small SUV into a snow drift a block from home. Our other car, which my brother borrowed while we were away, also got stuck a block away in the opposite direction.

As we labored to shovel, push or rock our way out of disaster, I lost a boot in the snow and then hobbled home full of pity for my plight, because I couldn't even stomp my feet in frustration. Later, though, as I learned about the throngs of good-hearted people who stepped up to help the snowbound, I realized that while the ferocious blizzard highlighted Erie's weather at its worst, the storm also showed Erie at our best, as people and organizations scrambled to aid those in need.

Those who are homeless were fed and sheltered. A nonprofit raised money even though its fundraiser was canceled. Volunteers took in a record number of stranded travelers. New Americans weathered the storm.

Now, many of those same helpers are also brainstorming strategies to improve disaster responses down the road, including addressing climate resiliency. Here are some of their stories and lessons learned from the storm.

Help for the homeless

"When that weather hit, we were very, very concerned about our folks out of the streets," said Barbara Lewis, a member of Voices of the Homeless Advocates, which formed two years ago and includes people who are unhoused. She and others have worried about the impact of big storms on the homeless. The blizzard the day after Thanksgiving proved that those worries were justified.

What if someone was trying to get from the Upper Room at 1024 Peach St., open during the day, to the new Community Resilience Center at 450 E. 16th St., which has overnight beds? Think about the difficulty of walking that route during a blizzard if you are elderly or suffer from physical or mental illness, she said. EMTA never runs on Sundays and service was suspended for a time during the storm. "There was an elderly woman with one leg trying to wheel her walker," Lewis said.

The Homeless Advocates group has already met to discuss how to pick up people and take them to shelter during future big storms. "This is a stop-gap until we get through this winter," she said. They are also publicizing the Band app, where people can get weather alerts and information about which Erie agencies and shelters are open or closed. "It's really helpful to those providing services but not as helpful to people with lived experiences of being homeless," Lewis explained. Those who are unhoused may not have enough data available on their phones to access the app, she said.

Still, the free Band app is a welcome step forward to improve communication, according to Cris Taylor, retired director of the Upper Room who now chairs the Client Services Committee of the Erie County HOME team, which works on homelessness. "Everybody recognizes that there has to be a way to say there's a winter storm — where are the shelters? What are the transportation vehicles where you can be picked up or dropped off?"

The committee's next task is to create and advocate for a disaster plan. "People who are homeless have limited resources to evacuate, stockpile food, store medications, and shelter in place," according to Taylor's preliminary outline for the disaster plan. "To ensure efficiency and maximize the quality of services available to homeless people during a disaster, it is critical that service providers build relationships with the relevant stakeholders involved in the emergency response process," the proposal states. Disaster planning will address any kind of catastrophic event, not just blizzards, and is needed countywide, he said.

To learn more and to share ideas, plan to attend the next Client Services meeting on Friday, Jan. 10, at 10 a.m. at the Mental Health Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania, 1101 Peach St.

A wreath in Perry Square honors the lives of 24 homeless Erie residents who died in 2024. A memorial service was held on Dec. 20.

Generosity rules

Community of Caring, started by the late Mother Mary Beth Kennedy and the Rev. Charles Kennedy 43 years ago, serves men and women who are chronically homeless by providing overnight shelter, meals, and case management.

Maureen Flaherty Dunn, director of development, was thrilled when parishioners at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 1116 W. Seventh St., decided to donate all free-will offerings from the church's second annual Christmas concert to Community of Caring. Dunn graduated from St. Andrew School, grew up down the street from the church and cherished her church community.

The Dec. 8 concert with Dave Van Amburg's V Band promised to be a big hit, like the first concert in 2023. But when organizers canceled the concert because the parking lot was inaccessible and utilities were out, Dunn didn't panic. Rather, advance promotions and personal invitations to a mailing list of 800 prompted people to donate anyhow.

"Dave Van Amburg (also a St. Andrew's alum) promoted it constantly and has an amazing following," she said. "We did receive checks in the mail from people who are not our usual donors," she said. "Our needs continue through all seasons as we constantly have new people come to the shelter. We shelter, feed and clothe all year long."

Donations can be mailed to Community of Caring, 245 E. Eighth St., Erie, PA 16503 or by visiting the website, www.cocerie.org.

Newcomers adjust

Erie people are used to surviving brutal winters, but what about those for whom this is new terrain? Fortunately, Erie's refugees and immigrants managed pretty well during the storm, according to Gretchen Fairley, development associate for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants at the International Institute.

"There really weren't any dramatic or heroic stories," she said. "Case managers all had essentially the same accounts: that our clients were okay through the storm. Everyone had heat, food, and water," she said. Some assistance was needed with communication, though.

The caseworkers "had to check in with everyone to let them know that schools were closed and workplaces were closed, that they should not try to go to their jobs or try to meet a bus or van driver for their jobs and let them know that they would not be in trouble for missing work and their kids would not be in trouble for missing school," Fairley said.

Some refugees were scared or surprised by the power of the storm, of course. Others enjoyed the novelty. But overall, she felt "this illustrates that refugees are like everyone else in Erie, except that they haven't had the experience to understand how a winter storm can require different behaviors and actions to stay safe."

The USCRI continues to serve newly arrived refugees who have fled war, violence, and persecution.

"What was true for those arriving yesterday is still true of those arriving today and tomorrow, the ability to overcome the challenges of becoming a newcomer, and ultimately, to give back to their new country," Dylanna Grasinger, USCRI vice president for refugee programs in Erie, said in a holiday email.

To learn more and to donate, visit refugees.org.

The road not traveled

While refugees and immigrants strive to make a go of it in Erie far from their original homes, a large number of recent visitors ended up here by chance due to the blizzard.

Fairfield Hose Co. Fire Chief Jim Hawryliw in Harborcreek Township said the volunteer fire department has served as a temporary shelter on occasion, but usually for only 10 to 15 people. During the blizzard, close to 100 people were transported to the fire hall's new food-catering hall on East Lake Road after their vehicles got stuck on Interstate 90.

The Pennsylvania State Police had asked Fairfield and volunteer firefighters in North East to offer temporary shelter, he said, and the Erie County Red Cross offered resources, too. "Every inch of the club was filled with people," he said. Volunteer firefighters and their families helped travelers from Canada to Texas and from the East Coast to the West Coast, he said. "We made a lot of new friends."

Sue Hanson, a member of the Harborcreek Township Community Engagement Team, who was delighted to see how East County people came together to help out strangers. She owns Expressions Salon and Spa, close to the fire hall, in a former apartment with a full bath. She was able to offer her business for showers for weary travelers, many of whom didn't even have a change of clothes, and washed lots of blankets.

Now she and Chief Hawryliw are working with others to devise a plan for future disasters. There are two immediate needs — finding new cots to replace the Vietnam-era ones used for the temporary shelter and locating a donated storage facility to keep the cots and other supplies. The idea, she said, is to fundraise and/or seek grants to get new cots and supplies. Perishable items would later be donated to the community and replenished with new items every year, she said.

Keep your eye on the township website at www.harborcreek.org to stay informed as fundraising plans are developed.

Dig these ideas

We would have been snowbound for a week without neighborhood helpers. A young couple from Colorado pushed our SUV out of deep ruts so we could drive it to the plowed-out driveway of my friend Theresa Power-Natale down the block. Later, Theresa flagged down the father-and-son owners of a plow business who snow-blowed most of our driveway. The new next-door neighbors, teachers who share our driveway, finished the job, while a couple hoping to earn extra money for Christmas gifts for their kids dug out our other car at a reasonable price.

Too many people in Erie don't have the physical ability to shovel their sidewalks, let alone dig out vehicles buried in the snow. That's why it's good to learn that Our West Bayfront staff and residents are sharing ideas on "how we can better serve our community and how neighbors can help neighbors," said Gretchen Kerr, executive director.

"Generally, we have been discussing ways that students, faculty, and staff at Gannon who live near or on campus could be helpful in snow emergencies," she said. "Also, we are exploring if there are opportunities to work with local organizations and businesses that have plowed, off-street parking that could accommodate temporary parking to clear the streets."

Our West Bayfront also wants to enlist individual block leaders to serve as communicators during emergencies, and the organization may purchase snow-removal equipment for neighbors to borrow, she said.

Meanwhile, staffers in the City of Erie's department of Planning and Neighborhood Resources took on new roles during the snow emergency, volunteering through United Way of Erie County's 211 Helpline to deliver meals and medicines and to dig people out. "We weren't asked. We took it upon ourselves," said Jackie Spry, department director.

She is also the staffer working with the city's new Environmental Advisory Council (EAC), which is seeking associate members as they develop a climate action plan for Erie. That should be a top priority now that we can see the consequences of extreme weather right here at home.

The EAC's bylaws provide for up to seven associate members to be added — two high school students, two college students, and three environmental experts. You don't have to be a City of Erie resident to apply but you must commit to attending EAC's monthly meetings at 3 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month in City Council chambers. To apply, email Spry at jspry@erie.pa.us.

Of course, after thinking about the months of wintry weather that lie ahead, it's also nice to escape reality and curl up with a good book. The Erie County Library has just the right incentive, with its "Blizzard of Books" winter reading challenge through Jan. 31. Learn more on the library's homepage at erielibrary.org.

When you visit Blasco, consider donating scarves, hats, mittens or gloves to hang on the "EverGIVE" tree near the front desk. Alyssa Johnson, the library's communications coordinator, and Zara Ostrander, the new children's librarian, came up with the idea for the tree to supplement the basket of winter gear (including blankets) that staffers keep at the front desk, according to Jessica Spitulski, the library's director.

"The tree looks festive and people can anonymously donate or pull from the tree," said Spitulski. The inspiration for the tree and the winter reading challenge comes from the children's book The Mitten, by Jan Brett, which is based on a Ukrainian folktale about a white mitten lost and then found in the snow. I can relate, now that my sainted husband has excavated my missing left boot from a big mound of snow.

Liz Allen can be reached at lizerie@aol.com.