The Star-News from Chula Vista, California • Page 1

(i Snowballs delight kids in Chula Vista Sweetwater district inducts hall of tamers Goaltender leads Hilltop to perfect start PAGE 3 ViSIA nnH3 Qd 39ViS0d TO fr02t HHH3d "CIS Q3iaOS3ad 6zen xoa d6 G003-02-Z0 S3 026 OGtf Q3XIHtmtmttmtmm NEW! PAGE 16 i i. VqM20 No. 50 December 14, 2001 Serving Chula Vista, National City, Bonita and EastLake Gift from the heart WorMe gat Ground Zero Chula Vista nurse EmmaAbutin brings home chilling memories of disaster site Alejandro Morales, 4, receives a present from a HOPE worldwide volunteer during a "Season of Unity program and toy giveaway at the Cnula Vista Wal-Mart on Broadway. Close to 3,000 toys were distributed to children during the family-style event last Saturday. More than 500 volunteers turned out for the four-hour program.

PhotoPaul Martinez -14 PI Chula Vista Mayor Shirley Horton ready for new adventure in polities A CV Mayor Shirley Horton PrKtoEartS.Cryer are experiences Horton. 49, hopes to parlay into future successes in Sacramento. Not everyone there is experienced, is connected to local issues, she said. In part, the problem lies with term See HORTON page 7 Lemack ErikaDyer Maria Elena Galleher Special to The Star-News The noise at Ground Zero from the huge machinery and toppling beams was deafening, recalls Emma Abutin, a nurse manager at the county Health and Human Services Agency facility in Chula Vista. She was part of a 20-member Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) that went to New York Nov.

13 to provide medical care to rescue workers who were injured while working at Ground Zero. "You prepare yourself mentally from what you see on TV, but it's beyond what you can imagine," said Abutin. Abutin described a scene of massive destruction with twisted metal, lots of dust and the smell of smoke. Abutin is no rookie to disaster situations. As a member of DMAT since the early 1990s, Abutin has been deployed a total of three times.

She was in North Dakota for the Red River Valley flooding in 1998. She was in Louisiana after Hurricane Georges hit in 1999, and now in 2001 she responded to the Sept. 1 1 attacks. DMAT is an affiliate of the National Disaster Medical system. It represents the federal response to disasters when requested by local and state officials.

DMAT is one of 30 teams in the country that responds to significant man-made or natural disasters. DMAT members who include physicians, nurses, paramedics, dentists and therapists are put on call and they are expected to make. every effort to adjust their schedules so they can deploy in the event of an activation. "Oftentimes there is a 24-hour travel notice so flexibility is crucial," said Abutin. Abutin received the telephone call Nov.

11 with the notice to deploy to New York. "My travel gear is always packed and ready to go," she said. Two days later, Abutin was on a morning flight to New York. Once in New York, Abutin said, she was at first overwhelmed by the enormity of the destruction. Al- Terrl Dillon Una 7 ni-T1 V- childhood.

Today, a new adventure, of sorts, and another venue for tackling problems beckon Shirley Ann Grasser now Chula Vista Mayor Shirley Horton from the north. Horton last week confirmed that she's seeking election to the 78th District seat in the state Assembly in the March primary. She appears to consider the state seat as an extension of her work as the mayor, a position she said has been wonderful. "Having the opportunity to be in my position, being mayor of Chula Vista, is the best elected position anyone could ever hold," Horton said. "It's personally 'rewarding, a personally rewarding experience.

You have the opportunity to affect people's lives because you're so close to the issues and you're very connected." Creating livable communities and addressing quality of life issues traffic congestion, for example Louise James Carina Steve Is -4" Laura Mallgren Staff Writer When she was a little girl spending summers with her grandparents on the Oregon coast, one of Shirley Ann Grasser's favorite pastimes was exploring a nearby forest. One day in the woods, she and her best friend, Nancy, spotted a deer that was stuck in a fence. Instead of being both girls approached the struggling creature, excited by the prospect of freeing the wild animal. The deer freed itself and fled. That night at the dinner table, their brush with adventure was critiqued by Nancy's father, who told both girls they were lucky the deer freed itself before they attempted the rescue because the wild animal could have injured the children in self-protection.

Excitement over challenges or fear of risk didn't diminish with her EmmaAbutin outside die Health and Human Services Agency in Chula lsta. PhotoMaria Elena Galleher though the noise from the heavy machinery was loud, she defined it as "quiet noise." "There were no radios blaring or people talking in loud voices. The atmosphere was solemn, almost sacred as if harmonizing with the unusual tragic event," said Abutin. Abutin and the other team members worked 12-hour shifts in tents set up at the periphery of Ground Zero. Rescue workers came in with eye irritations and cuts.

Frequently, the people who came in wanted to talk and share their gratitude for the team's presence, "They were really appreciative of us workers coming from different parts of the nation to support them," said Abutin. After working difficult 12- to 14-hour shifts, Abutin said, found rest and solace in the stations set up by the Red Cross. The Red Cross stations were well supplied and the Red Cross workers were very attentive, See NURSE page 7 Bernb needs! 402-0200 1 X. REALTY eWcutiVEB GYS GJIGCJUyCvOS ItEALIY EXECUTIVES ffi- Keens Call REALTY EXECUTIVES DILLON fdraUTyour real estate.