Arlington Inaugurates First Mobile Disaster Relief Trailer

The Arlington (Wash.) Church presented their new mobile disaster relief trailer to their community at the Fourth of July town parade.

Marvin Creelman, then the Arlington pastor, with Adventist Community Services (ACS) director Diane Ball, and Shane Larson and Nancy Bellman, both disaster relief coordinators, dreamed a year and a half ago of preparing their church for any disaster. They took a class on becoming a community emergency response team at the Arlington Fire Department.

The Arlington fire chief dreamed of getting several mobile disaster relief trailers outfitted to take care of 50 to 100 people each and offered to let the Arlington Church be the prototype.

The Arlington fire chief dreamed of getting several mobile disaster relief trailers outfitted to take care of 50 to 100 people each and offered to let the Arlington Church be the prototype.

Classes were hosted at both the Arlington and Marysville churches on how to take care of oneself and family. Thirty-seven attendees graduated, and 100 comfort kits and blankets were put together to supply the trailer.

With the help of the Hope Fund, Arlington Community Services and the members of the Arlington Church, dreams became reality with the purchase of the new trailer.The trailer represented many donations of funds and time, including hours donated by Bartoli Signs to do the lettering and a truck loaned by Greg Raerdon Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Arlington to pull it during the parade.

Featured in: October 2004