Chamber of commerce to act as flood-assistance clearinghouse
By Joe Wilson
Molalla Pioneer
If Debbie Rogge of Key Carpets in Molalla didn’t fully understand the struggles of disaster victims before Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home, she surely did afterward. And when she saw the suffering of the citizens in Vernonia, Ore. after recent massive flooding put their homes in ruin, she decided something needed to be done for them.
“During something like that, you don’t want to feel alone,” she said. “When the Red Cross and FEMA leave, everything isn’t going to be immediately right again. It’s going to take years.”
Rogge said she feels a certain kinship with Vernonians because their town, located about 35 miles northwest of Portland, is very much like Molalla — an old logging town trying to make it in a new world.
Rogge sells carpets, so she is planning to help the people of Vernonia by offering them a very good deal on carpeting to replace the waterlogged rags that are now on the floors of their houses and commercial buildings.
She’s not taking advantage of the people in this terrible situation. Instead, she’s offering a low-cost flooding option that will provide individuals, families and businesses with carpet and installation at practically her cost.
“We’re not in this for the money. It’s a slow time of the year and we figure, ‘what else would we be doing right now?’ We have the time to help them out and that’s what we’re going to do,” she said.
But just nearly giving carpet away isn’t enough. She knows that the victims of the flood will be needing all sorts of other items to get their lives back in order.
“It’ll be computer cables and paper. It’s the little things — this and that, that they’ll be needing as they put things back together again,” Rogge said.
So, in order to give them help and keep giving them that help until they are back on their feet, she suggested that other Molalla businesses and individuals do what they can as well.
After a recent visit from Rogge, the Molalla Area Chamber of Commerce has agreed to become an information clearinghouse for Molalla businesses that intend to help Vernonians.
Molalla chamber executive director Sheri Kelly agreed with Rogge’s sentiments.
“This is a very good thing. The Molalla chamber will be more than glad to share information about what they need in Vernonia,” she said.
Kelly urged all Molalla businesses, whether they are chamber members or not, to contact her if they would like to offer services or materials or anything for that matter, to help the flood victims.
Kelly can be contacted via telephone at 503-829-6941, by email at macc@molalla.net or in person by visiting the chamber offices at 105 E. Main Street, Suite 3, in downtown Molalla.
