By Elena Macias
On Sept. 15 Bishop Alberto Rojas joined a diocesan delegation that donated over 8,000 bottles of water to Mission San José in Thermal for distribution at nearby mobile home park communities that were heavily impacted by a monsoonal storm on Sept 1.
Nearly three inches of rain fell in the Eastern Coachella Valley on Sept. 1, quickly flooding the streets and some homes. Riverside County declared a local emergency after discovering a breach in a protective berm from a nearby toxic dump site that could have contaminated the water supply for San Jose Mobile Home Park, Vargas Mobile Home Park, Mission San José, and Gamez Mobile Home Park. In addition to the Sept. 1 storm damaging several roads, some standing water remained in the area as of Sept. 15.
The Riverside County Emergency Services Department and Salvation Army donated 7,800 bottles of water and Simpler Life Emergency Provisions, Inc, of Redlands, donated nearly 500 cans of water that have a shelf-life of 50 years.
The water was delivered to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Mecca. The parish then helped distribute the water to Mission San José, an outreach mission site of Our Lady of Soledad, and the residents of mobile home parks.
During his afternoon in the Coachella Valley, Bishop Rojas visited the Galilee Center, a non-profit organization located in Mecca that has offered to provide shelter, meals and services to the residents of mobile home parks impacted by the flash flood. The Galilee Center was founded in 2010 by Claudia Castorena and Gloria Gomez and the organization fulfills the food, clothing and basic needs for the local disadvantaged children, families, and farmworkers in the East Coachella Valley.
“The Galilee Center is the water in the desert,” Bishop Rojas said. He thanked the Gomez and Castorena for their hard work and efforts to help those in need in the community, many of whom are day laborers, farm workers and immigrants.
In addition to the donation of water, Bishop Rojas met with several leaders in the community who have been helping families in the area and discussed maintaining an ongoing relationship to further assist the Eastern Coachella Valley.
From there, Bishop Rojas went to Mission San José to meet with Father Francisco Gomez, S.T., Pastor of Our Lady of Soledad, Coachella and Coachella Mayor Steve Hernandez to discuss how the Church and local government could work in collaboration to continue to assist local communities.
During the meeting, Mayor Hernandez committed to help connect local government with the Diocese in the hopes to provide necessary services and grants for the residents of the mobile home parks. He also spoke with Anne Marie Gallant, Director of the Diocesan Office of Emergency Operations Collaborative, about the struggles that the residents of the mobile home parks face. Part of the meeting was dedicated to how the Church and local government leaders can establish trust with the mobile home park residents to help them recover from the impacts of the Sept. 1 storm as well as how to prepare for any future flash flooding.
Elena Macias is the Managing Editor of the Inland Catholic BYTE.