Grace and Drake Fenn receive delivery of an emergency diesel electric generator at The Bridge of San Martin.
There is no doubt about it - California is a hazardous place to live. Certainly, our scenery is beautiful and climate marvelous, but the state is subject to enormous natural disasters: winter floods, summer wildfires and earthquakes anytime.
The Bridge at San Martin Congregation, 425 East Middle Ave., has recognized this situation and begun taking action.
They realize that in the event of a major disaster, local residents cannot expect help from outside the immediate area for 72 hours and must develop means to become temporarily self-sufficient.
More than a year ago they held a Preparedness Fair. They invited first responders to come and educate the community on how to deal with emergency situations. Participants included the Office of Emergency Services, Red Cross, Sheriff's Department, Cal Fire and others.
Since then, some members of the congregation at The Bridge have received Community Emergency Response Training. Now they are launching a major effort to become a designated meeting place/evacuation site for the community under the Red Cross entity for Santa Clara County.
The Bridge occupies a 1.5 acre site centrally located for most San Martin residents. They have a well on the property, buildings that can accommodate approximately 50 people for shelter and an extensive lawn area suitable for pitching 100 tents.
Often people will not report to evacuation sites because they are unwilling to leave their animals behind, but The Bridge is located adjacent to an existing kennel and fields that could possibly help with this situation.
On June 11, the congregation took a major step toward their goal, receiving delivery of a diesel-powered electric generator.
This machine was donated by the Mearsk Corporation at the Port of Oakland and trucked to San Martin. U-Save Rockery of Morgan Hill donated the use of a forklift and operator to unload and place the generator temporarily on the property while a cement pad is built. U-Save also donated a load of base rock to construct a base for an anticipated storage container of first aid supplies.
Tax-deductible donations are now being solicited for the next step, a 12-foot-by-24-foot storage container known as an "ark." (This term may relate to the ship upon which Noah sailed with his family and animals during the flood that the Bible says destroyed all other life on earth.) A container will be donated by the Compass Container Corporation in Oakland, but around $20,000 is needed to complete the project, including the modification of the container. The community's help is needed for the following goals:
- Transporting the container to San Martin;
- Modification of the container with vents and turbine for air circulation;
- Construction of a concrete pad for the generator;
- Creation of a concrete or gravel pad for the ark to manage mud during rainy weather;
- Painting of the Ark and and landscaping surrounding the container;
- Once the ark is installed, it must be filled with emergency supplies: water, food, blankets, tents, cots, medical items, etc.
This ark project is meant to benefit the whole community. Since the congregation is not large, financial help is requested from concerned residents who may benefit from it. The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill has already made a generous donation. For more information contact The Bridge at San Martin congregational leader Drake Fenn at (408) 779-8169 or www.Isaiah611.org.
The Bridge at San Martin is a Judeo-Christian congregation which seeks to integrate teachings of the Old Testament (Hebrew scriptures) with the New Testament (Christian scriptures) for a safe place of study and community. Fenn, spiritual leader, and Grace Fenn, cantor, have been leading this congregation through the Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) for 13 years. The Bridge has since developed a specialized emphasis, drawing congregants from all over the Bay Area. They celebrate the Feasts of the Lord like Yom Kippur, Passover and Hanukkah as Biblical holidays for today.
Chuck Flagg Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Write him c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365 Gilroy, CA 95021.
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