Earthquake: The Long Road Back : Some Comfort Found in Numbers : Safety: Those forced out of their houses turn to shelters for meals, beds and to compare war stories with others.

As daylight faded over Fillmore, the Red Cross shelter at San Cayetano Elementary School was overflowing with weary, jittery residents.

Dozens of tiny green cots were set up in neat rows to accommodate the 280 earthquake victims wandering into the school’s cafeteria.

Finally, Natividad Flores and her family had found a comfortable place to rest.

“I just wanted to be here,” said Flores, who left behind her severely damaged Sespe Place house to stay at the shelter. “It feels safer here. It’s good to have so many people around. If we get through this, we’ll all get through it together. And if we go down, we’ll go down together.”

In the wake of the temblor, strangers and longtime neighbors have come together in an unprecedented union at the city’s largest emergency shelter, set up on Mountain View Road shortly after the shaking began Monday.

Exchanging war stories and a few laughs, the residents have found comfort and condolences amid the school’s shaken but sturdy walls.

At least for a few more days, Flores, her husband and three children--and dozens of others--will call a shelter home.

“There’s good food, blankets and a roof,” Manuel Flores said. “You can’t ask for anything else.”

On Tuesday night, the residents who had sought refuge at the shelter began settling in for a long stay. After swarms of large aftershocks shook them from their slumber the night before, they were anxious for sleep.

Shortly before 9 p.m., the group started winding down. While most stayed inside the school, others simply refused to be under a roof. They set up camp on a nearby field.

“If anything falls on us it will be a star,” said Jaime Serna, who was camping out with his wife and two daughters. “I’ve got two little kids to worry about. I don’t want to be inside.”

But Marjorie and Bob Stephens, whose home at the El Dorado Mobile Home Estates was severely damaged in the quake, said they preferred to stay with the group.

“It’s fascinating,” Marjorie Stephens said. “You can really see how different people react to things.”

Most of the youngsters, who spent time drawing with crayons or watching children’s movies rented by Red Cross staff, seemed oblivious to the disaster.

Meanwhile, a half-dozen teen-age boys--most of them friends from Fillmore High School--tried to outdo each other with their tales of the quake.

“Everything fell down in my house,” bragged Raul Hernandez, 14, who lives on the city’s east side. “You couldn’t walk.”

“Yeah, well my roof almost fell down . . . and the doghouse fell down on my dog,” said Anthony Camarillo, 13, prompting his friends to break into a chorus of giggles.

Although the quake seemed like an amusement park ride to some of the boys at the shelter, the adults were tormented by the events of the past few days.

Early Wednesday, the group was awakened when one of the adults had a nightmare. Later, another woman had to be taken to the hospital after suffering chest pains.

Mercedes Luis Jazoc, whose home was destroyed in the quake, said she had had enough.

“My head aches,” she said. “I want it to end.”

Marjorie Stephens said she was trying to make the best of the situation. She said she was touched by the concern displayed toward the quake victims at the shelter.

Residents who escaped the tremor with little damage have been stopping by with boxes of clothes and food. McDonald’s supplied the shelter with food, and Red Cross staff went out of their way to make sure the victims were comfortable.

“It’s been a great learning experience,” Marjorie Stephens said. “So many times we get caught up in our own lives and it takes something like this to bring us together. I’m going to change the way I do things. I’m going to go out of my way to help more people.

“Maybe it’s a good thing that happened to us. It shook us out of our lethargy.”

FYI

The Mountain View Road shelter in Fillmore is expected to be moved today to another location, because more quake victims probably will seek refuge over the weekend if expected rain materializes. People seeking shelter should call the Red Cross at 339-2234 to learn the new location.