Editorial: Only in a small town

Last weekend, something remarkable happened. Debra Collins, a 58-year-old woman from Felton, was found in Fall Creek after spending six nights, shivering and weak, sheltered under a fallen tree. Collins’ discovery by Joachim Deguara and his 7-year-old son, Dylan, was the result of a fairly remarkable chain of events that could only happen in a small town where neighbors care about each other.
The Press-Banner talked with people in Felton this week, who said word spread quickly on Hihn Street through downtown Felton.
When the word went out Thursday, Dec. 2, that their neighbor was missing, the town knew instantly. The owner of a Felton clothing store told her husband, who went into Fall Creek looking for Collins. Finding nothing, he e-mailed friends asking them if they’d search the next day.
The clothing store owner also called her friend, a psychic, and asked if she had felt anything. The psychic told the woman several words, including “Fall Creek,” “heart” and “deceased,” the business owner said.
During the course of the day, the business owner talked to her neighbor, Hanne Deguara, who went home and told her husband, Joachim, about the missing woman.
The Deguaras moved to Felton less than a year ago and did not know Collins.
But the next day, Joachim and Dylan were planning to go on a hike, so Hanne suggested they head to Fall Creek to look for Collins. Sure enough, after walking off the beaten path, they spotted her, and the story ended happily.
It’s that kind of simple communication and industriousness that makes the San Lorenzo Valley a unique place.
Neighbors know each other. Businesses genuinely care about the people in their town. And those people are willing to drop anything at a moment’s notice to help someone in need.
It’s easy to think about “what if” or to scream about the government’s slow action after Collins went missing. But it’s better to realize that, especially during this holiday season, we need to care for our neighbors and help when there is a crisis.