How Long Will the Good Vibes Last at Qualcomm Stadium?
Evacuees find festive scene, including massages, yoga and gourmet buffet tables.
Oct. 24, 2007 — -- Half a million Southern Californians have evacuated their homes in the face of vicious wildfires, and thousands of them have found refuge at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium.
But unlike the grim conditions faced by Hurricane Katrina evacuees at the Superdome in New Orleans, the evacuees in San Diego are whiling away the hours California style — with yoga, acupuncture, massages and even gourmet buffet tables.
Four generations of 66-year-old Beverly Brinley's family are waiting out the fires in the stadium. She's been playing with her granddaughter to make the time go by faster.
On day two, most of the infants and toddlers at the stadium are still easily amused, especially with volunteers such as Jane Deroche wandering around to brighten up their day.
"I am just walking around passing out bears to little children," Deroche said.
Clowns were even called in for the kids' entertainment and several displaced guitarists were strumming and singing to a captive audience.
Christie Williams, who lost her Ramona, Calif., home, nicknamed the Shangri-La, said she was struck by the camaraderie and generosity she found at Qualcomm.
Williams said an older man named Gabriel started talking to her, and when she told him she lost everything, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill to give to her.
Williams was overcome by the gesture.
"I've never been good at asking for help," she said today on "Good Morning America." "Gabriel, my angel! He's one of the many angels here in San Diego today. … This is like the first $100 to a new beginning."
Some are wondering how long the good vibes will last.
Esther Frances, 90, evacuated her home and said she could stay in the stadium as long as she needed to be.
"It is a matter of being flexible," Frances said. "Anybody uptight is going to have a problem with it."
While aid is flowing in from across the country, many Californians say they are most grateful for the small acts of kindness they've received from strangers.
