There has always been a running joke that Whidbey Island has two seasons, winter and August. This year the heat wave came in July, and it’s no laughing matter when the health needs of senior citizens are at stake.
With temperatures hitting 90-plus degrees at the south end of Whidbey Island, David Hollett, emergency manager for Island County, came to NAS Whidbey Island for help this week to set up a respite from the heat at The Bayview-South Whidbey Senior Center in Langley.
“I called from Bellingham to Phoenix; there weren’t fans or air conditioners to be had anywhere,” said Hollett in a telephone interview. “I called rental stores, home improvement stores, air conditioning stories. I couldn’t put my hands on nothing.”
At around 10 a.m. July 27, Hollett called the base Emergency Operations Center Manager Elijah Fletcher as a last resort. Fletcher went into action calling Chugach Industries, Inc., the Base Operating Support contractor, working with Natalie Schindler at the Trouble Desk and Jerry Recker, Chugach Project Manager, to see what resources were available.
John Zylstra, tool room attendant, and Scott Hay, warehouse supervisor, tracked down five box fans and three oscillating fans and ensured they worked. Fletcher, in the meantime, also found a portable air conditioner at NAS Whidbey Island’s Ground Electronics for the senior center to borrow.
By mid-afternoon, Hollett was on his way up here to get the fans and air conditioner. Schindler said it was a firm-fixed price job, meaning it’s no cost to use the fans and the equipment is on loan for up a week. Relief from the heat isn’t expected until the weekend.
The South Whidbey-Bayview Senior Center provides seniors age 50 and over a variety of services including health clinics, classes, social services and computer labs.
“Sometimes working in Emergency Management, it can be challenging to see immediate results,” said Fletcher. “EM is really just putting resources where they will do the most good, and that is what we did yesterday. It feels great knowing that Team Whidbey was able to come together on short notice and help out the community.”