From Deseret News archives:

Wells gets wealth of volunteer assistance

Published: Sunday, March 2, 2008 12:26 a.m. MST
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Two new minor aftershocks struck the town early Saturday, causing no damage but further frazzling some residents, who say they haven't slept well in 10 days and have trouble regaining their equilibrium.

Tybo described the town's residents with one word — resilient — despite their nerves being on edge.

"The spirit of the community is a lot of humor, a tremendous amount of hope," he said.

Tybo said volunteers showed up within an hour of the initial quake.

"Oh, the compassion they've shown for the community," he said. "But they want to thank us for letting them help."

"I'm impressed," one homeowner told young women as they knocked on her door offering assistance. "I wish the weather had been better."

None of the volunteers seemed to be complaining about the weather either, just working wherever needed.

Bishop Robert Johnson of Wells' lone LDS ward used what was left of the chapel as a command post for volunteers. The east side of the building — including the chapel — is unusable. Fast and testimony meeting was to be held today in the local elementary school.

A total of 258 residents officially registered at the volunteer desk Saturday, but many others were believed to have just gone out and gotten to work. The Red Cross made sure lunch was delivered to all volunteers.

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The town's senior citizen center was reported holding up well and nearby a crew of jail inmates was shoveling deep snow off sidewalks.

Relief efforts will continue throughout this week, when a new assessment will be made.

Official notices posted on all homes stated whether they were safe to be occupied or not. Some people are housed in motels for the time being.

The earthquake that occurred on Feb. 21 about 6:15 a.m. registered at 6.0 on the Richter scale, with a 4.2 aftershock. Since then there have been other sequences of quakes, including a 4.9 tremor on Tuesday at midnight and a 3.6 tremor Friday. Aftershocks are continuing but are now farther apart.

Wells is about 60 miles west of Wendover, along I-80.

• Donations to the Wells Nevada Earthquake fund can be made by calling 775-752-3342 or mailing a check to P.O. Box 308, Wells, NV 89835.


E-mail: lynn@desnews.com

Recent comments

My grandson and his mother live in Wells both came out in good shape....

H. Barr | March 6, 2008 at 5:30 a.m.

What about next Saturday, will more help be needed?

Wanna Help | March 2, 2008 at 9:36 p.m.

Was a great day. A lot of work was done and help helped.

Robert Johnson | March 2, 2008 at 9:08 p.m.

Image

Adam Neff, left, Linden Hatch and Warren Peterson help repair Wells, Nev., resident Dennis Hyde's roof, which was damaged by the quake that struck on Feb. 21. More than 300 volunteers converged on Wells to help with quake cleanup.

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