By Sharon Michael, The Chronicle, 12/6/98
Flood control is more than a theoretical problem to many Twin Cities residents.
Several families evacuated from their homes in Chehalis and Centralia during the Thanksgiving holiday will spend the weekend in local motels courtesy of the Red Cross, while disaster relief personnel work to arrange new housing for them.
Others are living with friends and family while searching for new living quarters. Others with the means to do so have found new homes on their own.
Thanksgiving weekend, Red Cross workers turned a meeting hall at the Chehalis United Methodist Church into a temporary shelter for flood victims. The shelter took in 25 people Thanksgiving weekend. All needed new housing.
The number of others who made their own temporary housing arrangement, but still need permanent housing, is unknown.
"We never did get a clear count," said Michaelle Fries, Lewis County Red Cross disaster services coordinator.
New quarters have now been located for most of shelter residents. so it is being closed. The few remaining families are moving to motels while Red Cross workers continue to try to find permanent housing arrangements for them and other flood victims.
"We need more housing in the Chehalis area," Fries said Friday. "We have had some real generous offers from the Centralia area."
Fries said many Centralia landlords offered special arrangements on deposits so people could get into new quarters without a large cash outlay.
But families with children enrolled in Chehalis schools need to locate housing there. Others employed in Chehalis have transportation problems that would make it difficult from them to move to Centralia.
Finding affordable housing is difficult for the 20 families forced to evacuate the Chehalis Avenue Apartments, a low-income complex.
"They're used to having subsidized rent," said Michaelle Sorlie, Human Response Network client advocate. "Now they're having to pay more than they're used to - that's a problem."
The complex manager said Friday she doesn't know yet when the apartments can be occupied again.
Landlords who have available rentals in Chehalis may contact Fries at the Lewis County Red Cross, 748-4607.