King County Mutual Aid Groups Organize for Families Affected by Bomb Cyclone at Extended Stay Hotel in Renton

The bomb cyclone that swept through the Pacific Northwest Tuesday, Nov. 19, continues to impact residents across King County. Over 416,000 people were left without power by the following morning, and a week later, some households are still without electricity.

When the power went out for four days at the Renton extended stay hotel where Elaine Simons was temporarily residing during the bomb cyclone, she sprung into action. Simons was staying at the extended stay hotel due to a flood at her home, unrelated to last week's bomb cyclone. Simons also happens to have been the foster mother of Jesse Sarey, a Cambodian-Khmer man who was murdered by Jeffrey Nelson, an Auburn police officer. This event secured the state's first murder conviction against a police officer under Initiative 940.

In the midst of the chaos caused by the outage, about 40 families at the extended stay hotel did not have the means to move to another hotel with power. Simons, who stayed along with the 40 families, saw an opportunity to help.

"I couldn't sit here and see people who didn't have hot food and not do anything. I knew that the community would respond, and they did," said Simons in an interview with the Emerald. According to Simons, one affected family had been living at the extended stay for the last 10 months awaiting a double lung transplant.

"They came from Alaska and have been here for 10 months. She [the wife of the lung transplant patient] said eight transplant/stem cell cancer patients were transferred from [the extended stay hotel] to the hospital and military base for power," Simons said when she first reached out to the Emerald with the story.

In hopes of securing aid to provide food for the 40 vulnerable families who weren't able to transfer from the extended stay hotel, Simons reached out to Mutual Aid South & East King County (MASEKC), one of a number of abolitionist groups across King County she connected with in advocating for her foster child Sarey before, during, and after Nelson's arrest.

MASEKC is a community-based, abolitionist organization that formed in 2020 to support survivors of domestic violence and immunocompromised, BIPOC, and immigrant community members during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the group's funds come from their Patreon supporters who collectively contribute over $3,700 a month to the organization.

"[Philanthropy] reaffirms the power structure that people who already have the wealth and the power get to decide who gets the crumbs and who doesn't. The premise of mutual aid is that everyone's safety is interconnected, and that everyone deserves everything they need to survive," said Chloe Huber, an organizer with MASEKC.

Simons first met Huber and got involved with MASEKC during her own organizing efforts advocating for justice for Sarey. Years later, Simons maintained contact with the mutual aid group and, with the help of MASEKC, Simons raised enough money to feed the 40 families without power for three nights and is working on organizing more help with remaining funds.

On Saturday night, Simons reached out to the Muslim Community Resource Center (MCRC) for help. They provided boxes of pizza for the 40 families.

MCRC is the social and humanitarian program of MAPS, a mosque in Redmond, Washington. They provide services, such as a free monthly health care clinic, and food and health services for unsheltered communities across the Greater Seattle area.

"Most of us in the area experienced firsthand the challenges of being without heat and warm food during the unprecedented windstorm last week," said Nickhath Sheriff, founder & CEO of MCRC, in a statement to the Emerald. "When we heard about the families without food or heat sheltering at a motel in Seattle, we felt that the least we could do was to provide them with a warm meal during this challenging time. We are grateful for the opportunity to help."

Sheriff also runs Essentials First, formerly known as Kits for Peace, a nonprofit organization that provides hygiene essentials and culturally appropriate food assistance to individuals.

"Essentials First is providing essential needs to those who have been impacted by the bomb cyclone. Our goal is to make sure that our community members are safe, warm, and healthy during this unprecedented time. Please feel free to reach out for a warm blanket and essential hygiene supplies to Essentials First," said Sheriff.

Anyone interested in receiving supplies from Essentials First can either call 425-502-7768 or reach out via the organization's website.