Peggy Crom moved out of the Clatskanie River Inn Wednesday. Her family found a new place to live about two miles from where their old home was washed away by a mudslide Dec. 11.

The American Red Cross had paid for their motel rooms for eight days.

Crom said she’s very grateful to the staff at the motel.

“These people have been awesome,” she said. “The motel gave me a blanket and pillow to take with me, sort of like Linus.”

The motel general manager, Twyla Meyers, said staff at the motel want to treat everybody like family.

“That was just something I wanted to do, because she was very distraught over losing her pillow and blanket,” she said.

But Clatskanie’s kindness toward the Croms went way beyond the staff at the motel.

Crom said local restaurants and businesses paid for the family’s meals. Because they left their home with only the clothes they were wearing, Carla Hess, owner of Carla’s Closet, gave them all a full change of clothes and bathing suits so they could use the motel’s swimming pool.

Deanna Robbins brought the family soap, deodorant and toothpaste.

Standing outside Hess’ shop, the two women said they didn’t do it for notoriety; they felt like it was something they had to do.

Crom said businesses in Astoria – radio station The Eagle 103.9 FM, TJ’s Auto Repair, East End Coffee and Kick Ass Koffee – gathered donations of money and clothing for the family.

She said she got checks in the mail from people from outside the Northwest.

Her husband, Don Crom, said the new place is smaller than their old home, but it’s better than staying in a motel.

The family doesn’t have a television, but when movies from Netflix arrived in the mail, they bought an inexpensive DVD player to hook to the TV in their motel room.

“Netflix showed up in the mail, and what can you do?” he said.

The Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency have given the family some money, while they try to recover.

But they won’t know if they are eligible for more aid until they fill out a U.S. Small Business Disaster Home Loan application.

If they’re not eligible for the loan, Peggy Crom said FEMA will give them more money.

“The Crom family thanks every single person who helped us out,” she said.