Donation center
Although her ex lives close to the fires, Merel has some peace here. “At my house I was constantly seeing explosions and a house on fire two blocks away. It helps a lot not to have to keep looking at the sky and the fires.” Two days later, on Thursday evening, she returns home. Although she has hope for a moment, the situation does not improve.
She has hardly slept in recent days. “I usually sleep between 6 and 8 o’clock in the morning. Then the wind dies down.” She also tries to help as much as possible at a donation center in her area, by using her holiday hours and helping out in the evenings.
In the donation center she helps people who no longer know what they need due to the shock. “You take people by the hand and ask if they have deodorant, a toothbrush for their kids or toilet paper.”