An Orange County family went viral over the weekend after welcoming numerous relatives displaced by evacuations in Garden Grove to stay in their home.
It was a packed house in Anaheim full of grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins for the Martinez family. The viral video that was posted showed relatives scattered throughout the living room with sleeping bags and mattresses on the floor as they made the best out of a crisis situation.
The family said they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We’re used to it,” Yasmin Martinez, who is hosting her loved ones, said. “We do yearly camping trips, whether it’s 50 family members, and we are the corny family that has the t-shirts that match so we are used to working together and co-existing together and kind of letting things flow fluidly.”
Martinez’s family was evacuated from Stanton on Friday as emergency personnel worked to mitigate the chemical incident that threatened neighboring communities. Since then, the family took advantage of the time spent together by playing games, roasting marshmallows in the backyard and cooking together.
“It’s been busy. A lot of energy but it’s been fun, to be honest,” Martinez said. “It’s nice having everybody around.”
The family went on to say that it was an immediate offer to help impacted relatives shelter with them.
“It was a no thought, no hesitation for them,” said Tyara Vargas, who was ordered to vacate her home. “And they texted us, we have a family group chat, and they texted us like, ‘Hey, come over.’”
The family said there is no time limit for their relatives’ welcome as those who were impacted await the greenlight to return home.