OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2020

The Oregon Caregiver FALL/WINTER 2020 www.ohca.com 10 FEATURE CAREGIVERS’ LOVE FOR RESIDENTS SHINE IN DEVASTATING LOSS FROM THE OREGON WILDFIRES Fiery embers lit the night sky over the small town of Gates on a mid- September evening, inching closer and closer to the Hart family’s farm with every minute. By 11:30 p.m., the flames from the Beachie Creek Fire had reached the trees outside the church next door and, in that moment, Andrea Hart knew she needed to leave her home. She and her husband packed up their dogs and left their cattle, chickens, and their first Oregon home in the rearview mirror. They drove through a tunnel of fire on Highway 22 toward Mill City and spent the night in their car at a Bi-Mart parking lot. By Catherine Van Natalie and Aaron Dove woke up her clients in the middle of the night to get them evacuated.