Spirit of Portland
February 7, 2014
Last night, Nick was proud to see first-hand how the winter storm brought out the best in our community.
As most people headed home to their families, a team of Portland firefighters set out in two Fire Bureau vans and searched for folks trapped out in the cold with no home to go to.
Nick joined Lt. Joe Troncoso and Lt. Matthew Silva in their van and picked up a number of people struggling for warmth as the snow came down and temperatures dropped. They stopped by the Union Gospel Mission and Bud Clark Commons to check on availability, and met a large group of people hunkered down under the Burnside Bridge. Once the van was full, Nick and the lieutenants headed over the bridge to the Imago Dei warming shelter.
While the Red Cross was preparing Imago Dei to open, the van took folks to the nearby Three Friends Coffee House, where owner, Bobbi Bicogo, welcomed everyone with a warm cup of coffee.
As the crew headed back to the van, they got a call about a disoriented man at the Lloyd Center Mall. When Nick and the lieutenants arrived, they found the man weak and in need of his insulin, which was at his home in East Portland. Secure in the van, the crew took him to his home out on 121st and made sure he was back in safe hands.
The tremendous work of Lieutenants Troncoso and Silva, gestures from a small business owner like Bobbi, and the dozens of volunteers who worked through the night demonstrate the true spirit of Portland.
If you would like to donate clothes or blankets, please call 2-1-1 for information about which shelters you can drop off your donation.
Remember, we expect more snow later today, so please use extra caution on the roads or leave your car at home if possible.
Andrew Theen in The Oregonian
Portland officials urge residents to stay off the road as crews work to clear main arteries
Maxine Bernstein in The Oregonian
Officials hold 'State of the City' amid wintry blast
KGW News