One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.

Blue lips, anyway – almost.

Nemo the fish, resident greeter for the past 16 years at the University of Oregon's Moss Street Children's Center, had a brush with aquatic hypothermia during Eugene's recent snow and ice storm.

The child care center was one of several buildings around campus that lost power when a Feb. 6 snowstorm turned into an ice emergency, with tree limbs and power lines the main casualties.

The UO Police Department was alerted by the fire suppression system at Moss Street when the building lost power. Public Safety Officer Chris Rouse responded at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 9, and noticed a strong smell coming from Nemo's salt water aquarium, due to a rapid temperature drop in the tank.

Rouse notified Moss Street authorities and the UOPD station, and Public Safety Officer Amanda Hayles began a rescue operation when she came on duty at 7 a.m.

"When she came on shift, she was the one that got together the handwarmers and blankets, and wrapped the aquarium up," said UOPD spokesperson Kelly McIver.

 Hayles taped several air-activated handwarmer packets to the outside of the aquarium and bundled the whole thing in blankets. The handwarmers are designed to produce heat for at least eight hours, and by that time power had been restored to the childcare center, McIver said.

Becky Lamoureux, director of the Moss Street Children's Center, credits the UOPD officers with saving Nemo – and preventing many broken hearts among the center's clients.

"We often study community helpers at Moss Street but (due to the storm response) we have some very real examples for the children," Lamoureux said. "(Their) action saved the fish and the delicate coral environment that he lives in."

And Nemo? He's fully recovered.

"The first and last thing children do every day at Moss Street Children’s Center is to say good morning and good bye to Nemo the fish," Lamoureux said. "For 16 years, Nemo has single-handedly helped 130 children a day get a happy start to their day."

She also thanked staff from Campus Operations, Emergency Management and Continuity, and the Global Scholars Hall for attending to tree damage at the center and salvaging food from the center's coolers when electrical power was lost.

- by Joe Mosley, UO Office of Public Affairs Communication