Forgive my delay in writing, life does seem to fill up my days at times.
Yesterday, smoke reappeared in the sky, only this time it was to the north. The familiar sounds of sirens and helicopters and airplanes filled our world once again and the word Fire was on everyone's lips.
When I heard the word Fire, I was at work. It came to me from a student, panicked and needing to leave as they were evacuating his home. I found myself struggling to remain calm, wanting to leave just as desperately as the student.
The Fire remained to the north and the gentle southerly breeze kept it from My Town all of yesterday and today. The real test begins tomorrow and Friday when the winds shift and the game changes. That shift will bring the Fire our direction.
I'm beginning my Thursday, relishing the onset of the close of another work week. One eye to the sky and an ear to the ground for word of Fire. Living with this threat is exhausting but in it's own peculiar way, it is becoming a constant and normal. Does one really exist daily always prepared to evacuate and to lose everything and in the cases of so many, lose everything again? How unfair would that be.
So, today, I will say my prayers, ask for mercy and we shall see what the day brings. I'm sure I will be able to repeat this process for many many days to come.
Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The Healing Properties Of The Game
Tonight, our high school football team will take to the field and for the first time since the awful fires, people of My Town will think about something other than what has happened and what they have lost.
All day long, it was a mixed bag of emotions. Today, access to one of the major subdivisions destroyed by the fire, was granted. Families were going to the place they used to call home. They came for their children and together they drove down familiar roads and stopped their vehicles where their houses once stood. They saw all that they had now reduced to ashes and debris. It was hard for them, I could see it in their faces. They called it closure. To me it seemed like much more. The therapeutic trek to what once was, allowed them to come to terms with their new reality. To be able to physically stand where their home once was, to see what was left and what was not, was not their closure, it was their cold shower of reality. Perhaps it will be easier to move forward now. I hope so at least.
Amidst the pain of the today was the anticipation of the football game. For the first time in two very long weeks, the students were doing what they had always done, they were getting ready for a big game.
In My Town, every football game is a big game. This one in particular, because of what all has happened, was big. The town would show up at the big beautiful stadium and for three hours, cheer and yell and this time, the enemy wasn't a fire, it was an opposing football team. Harmless and exciting, nothing feels more normal to My Town than high school football.
The end of the school day found the student body and all the faculty in the main gym for the pep rally. The band, the cheerleaders, the dance team, volleyball players, cross country runners, all there to lend their voices to the mass of high school students. It was loud and busy and very very normal. It was as if nothing had happened. As if homes and favorite pillows, prized collections and memories had not been lost to the fire. For a moment, everything was as it once was. All was good.
Tonight, the half time show will be dedicated to all those firefighters, first responders and police officers that battled the beast two weeks ago. The entire town will be there to put their hands together and show them the appreciation they so richly deserve.
And then My Town will enjoy some football. GO BEARS!
All day long, it was a mixed bag of emotions. Today, access to one of the major subdivisions destroyed by the fire, was granted. Families were going to the place they used to call home. They came for their children and together they drove down familiar roads and stopped their vehicles where their houses once stood. They saw all that they had now reduced to ashes and debris. It was hard for them, I could see it in their faces. They called it closure. To me it seemed like much more. The therapeutic trek to what once was, allowed them to come to terms with their new reality. To be able to physically stand where their home once was, to see what was left and what was not, was not their closure, it was their cold shower of reality. Perhaps it will be easier to move forward now. I hope so at least.
Amidst the pain of the today was the anticipation of the football game. For the first time in two very long weeks, the students were doing what they had always done, they were getting ready for a big game.
In My Town, every football game is a big game. This one in particular, because of what all has happened, was big. The town would show up at the big beautiful stadium and for three hours, cheer and yell and this time, the enemy wasn't a fire, it was an opposing football team. Harmless and exciting, nothing feels more normal to My Town than high school football.
The end of the school day found the student body and all the faculty in the main gym for the pep rally. The band, the cheerleaders, the dance team, volleyball players, cross country runners, all there to lend their voices to the mass of high school students. It was loud and busy and very very normal. It was as if nothing had happened. As if homes and favorite pillows, prized collections and memories had not been lost to the fire. For a moment, everything was as it once was. All was good.
Tonight, the half time show will be dedicated to all those firefighters, first responders and police officers that battled the beast two weeks ago. The entire town will be there to put their hands together and show them the appreciation they so richly deserve.
And then My Town will enjoy some football. GO BEARS!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Seeking Normal
The school doors opened again this past Monday. The children came and we managed to keep things as Normal as possible. There were plenty of tears as the fire took so much from so many. When 1500 homes are gone, it affects a large population of this small town. So many are displaced, not able to go home either because their home is now gone or its simply not safe to return to the areas where homes remain intact.
The fire was the topic on everyone's mind Monday and Tuesday. Today, Wednesday, it was less and less.
People really are trying to get back to the Normal, whatever that is now. There are plenty of needs and they are a constant. From shelter, to clothing to food to health care, there is a large population of people that are having to find their way back to Normal.
Its impossible to be Normal right now. The fires changed too much for that to be the case but we are trying.
People here are having a hard time sleeping and our dreams are filled with smoke and fear and sirens. People are finding it difficult to concentrate and focus on things that need to be done. Details elude them. Time will need to heal the wounds, however, it will take rains to put out the fears completely.
Rain seems to be the elusive fix for us. It remains absent from our skies and the forecast is only the most slim of chances. How long will this go on? I see brown dead lawns, dying trees and a landscape that is primed for another fire. Until the rains return, the threat will be constant and real. Constant and real just like the need left in the wake of the fire.
Just so you know how things are going here in My Town, it seems to be a guarded OK. We still wince when we hear a siren, we still look to the sky for signs of smoke and clouds must be verified. Meanwhile we are working and going to school and grocery shopping and going ahead with our lives. And that's just the ones that were unaffected. Those that lost everything are in a daily battle to rebuild and to find something Normal in every day. Temporary shelter, temporary lives waiting for a semblance of routine.
Maybe, with some luck and no more fires, next week will seem a little better. That is my sincerest wish.
The fire was the topic on everyone's mind Monday and Tuesday. Today, Wednesday, it was less and less.
People really are trying to get back to the Normal, whatever that is now. There are plenty of needs and they are a constant. From shelter, to clothing to food to health care, there is a large population of people that are having to find their way back to Normal.
Its impossible to be Normal right now. The fires changed too much for that to be the case but we are trying.
People here are having a hard time sleeping and our dreams are filled with smoke and fear and sirens. People are finding it difficult to concentrate and focus on things that need to be done. Details elude them. Time will need to heal the wounds, however, it will take rains to put out the fears completely.
Rain seems to be the elusive fix for us. It remains absent from our skies and the forecast is only the most slim of chances. How long will this go on? I see brown dead lawns, dying trees and a landscape that is primed for another fire. Until the rains return, the threat will be constant and real. Constant and real just like the need left in the wake of the fire.
Just so you know how things are going here in My Town, it seems to be a guarded OK. We still wince when we hear a siren, we still look to the sky for signs of smoke and clouds must be verified. Meanwhile we are working and going to school and grocery shopping and going ahead with our lives. And that's just the ones that were unaffected. Those that lost everything are in a daily battle to rebuild and to find something Normal in every day. Temporary shelter, temporary lives waiting for a semblance of routine.
Maybe, with some luck and no more fires, next week will seem a little better. That is my sincerest wish.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wallets and Purses
This evening, darling Pepper made his way into my bedroom. Sasha was not amused and has determined that this intruder is a threat to her bedroom. Now Pepper is pretty much odd man out. Since Cayce has joined our home, he finds his food eaten by this noisey, active non-cat creature. Pepper has become elusive. He only really comes out now when that heathen dog has go to bed for the night.
Tonight, I saw him making his way slowly through my door, mindful that the mighty Sasha would be watching his every move. I gave him a little food and then sat with him on the floor for awhile. By the way, I'm convinced that it is very good for the soul to sit on the floor now and again. My purse was within arms reach and open. I noticed my watch inside and vaguely remembered tossing it in my purse when we were packing to leave because of the fire. I'm still walking around packed bags in various rooms in the house. I suppose we haven't returned to normal just yet. Not til we've had enough rain can we really let our guard down and not think about the threat of fire starting or returning.
As I sat on the floor with Pepper, I decided while I was down there, protecting him, I would clean out my purse. I began pulling out my wallet and dollars just shoved down inside from the last trip to the grocery store. You know the moment they hand you your receipt, the coin change and the dollars all at the same time and the person behind you is already shoving their cart into your space. So I secured the loose bills inside my wallet and continued cleaning.
Pepper ate some and Sasha moved from the bed to near my computer chair and just sat there, wide eyed and staring at Pepper. I could feel the love. As I continued my journey into the abyss that is my purse, I came across a CD that a friend had made for me. I remember sitting at work and she came by my window and handed me this CD of music. I promised her I would listen to it but I'm sure I was busy at work and just stashed it in my purse for another day. Another day that hasn't yet happened. There is sat in my purse. I pulled it out and looked at it. She had listed the songs and the artists and then wrote "Love Mary". She's just thoughtful that way. When I put out a call to friends that I was looking to reuse some of their glass jars with lids, she faithfully brought me her cleaned peanut butter jars. I was beginning to think that's all she ate as she was bringing them so often. But I was grateful to her for remembering me.
I held the CD and thought to myself. Mary had given the CD to me about a week before the fire. Now Mary's home was completely gone. How much life had changed in a week.
I continued my journey through my purse. Pulling out receipts and crumpled grocery lists, stacking them up for later discard. Then I pulled out these stickers. I remembered getting those stickers last Saturday. My Son and I had headed out to the Producers Market on the edge of town. As we slipped down the alley behind Main street, I saw the firefighters were collecting money for charity. I had reached down in my purse and pulled out the loose change and dropped it into the boot held by the fireman. He was smiling and friendly and grateful. He had handed us the stickers for our donation.
Our trip to the Producers Market took less than an hour and as we back tracked our way home, heading down the same alley, we saw the same fireman and the same boot, made another donation and received more stickers.
I held those three stickers and thought about how none of us knew on that Saturday that 24 hours later, that fireman would be out there in those woods and in those fields fighting the fire of his life. None of us knew how life would change for everyone. We were just going about our daily lives.
As I finished cleaning my purse, I wondered how long it would be before I stopped associating things with that day the fire started. Oh I did this just before the fire started, or I went there to eat the morning the fire started. The fire has become the mental time marker. Maybe the moment it started was the end of one life and the beginning of another. Maybe that's why it seems so important and noteworthy.
Mostly likely its because those four days with the fires were so traumatic, even if you lost nothing, that all we can remember is before it started and then its as if we woke up four days later when the smoke cleared. Long days with no sleep and constant fear does odd things to our mental perceptions.
Either way, the purse is cleaned, the stickers are tucked away in my wallet as a reminder that life can change in an instant. A reminder that I will not take a moment for granted. Never again.
And neither should you.
Tonight, I saw him making his way slowly through my door, mindful that the mighty Sasha would be watching his every move. I gave him a little food and then sat with him on the floor for awhile. By the way, I'm convinced that it is very good for the soul to sit on the floor now and again. My purse was within arms reach and open. I noticed my watch inside and vaguely remembered tossing it in my purse when we were packing to leave because of the fire. I'm still walking around packed bags in various rooms in the house. I suppose we haven't returned to normal just yet. Not til we've had enough rain can we really let our guard down and not think about the threat of fire starting or returning.
As I sat on the floor with Pepper, I decided while I was down there, protecting him, I would clean out my purse. I began pulling out my wallet and dollars just shoved down inside from the last trip to the grocery store. You know the moment they hand you your receipt, the coin change and the dollars all at the same time and the person behind you is already shoving their cart into your space. So I secured the loose bills inside my wallet and continued cleaning.
Pepper ate some and Sasha moved from the bed to near my computer chair and just sat there, wide eyed and staring at Pepper. I could feel the love. As I continued my journey into the abyss that is my purse, I came across a CD that a friend had made for me. I remember sitting at work and she came by my window and handed me this CD of music. I promised her I would listen to it but I'm sure I was busy at work and just stashed it in my purse for another day. Another day that hasn't yet happened. There is sat in my purse. I pulled it out and looked at it. She had listed the songs and the artists and then wrote "Love Mary". She's just thoughtful that way. When I put out a call to friends that I was looking to reuse some of their glass jars with lids, she faithfully brought me her cleaned peanut butter jars. I was beginning to think that's all she ate as she was bringing them so often. But I was grateful to her for remembering me.
I held the CD and thought to myself. Mary had given the CD to me about a week before the fire. Now Mary's home was completely gone. How much life had changed in a week.
I continued my journey through my purse. Pulling out receipts and crumpled grocery lists, stacking them up for later discard. Then I pulled out these stickers. I remembered getting those stickers last Saturday. My Son and I had headed out to the Producers Market on the edge of town. As we slipped down the alley behind Main street, I saw the firefighters were collecting money for charity. I had reached down in my purse and pulled out the loose change and dropped it into the boot held by the fireman. He was smiling and friendly and grateful. He had handed us the stickers for our donation.
Our trip to the Producers Market took less than an hour and as we back tracked our way home, heading down the same alley, we saw the same fireman and the same boot, made another donation and received more stickers.
I held those three stickers and thought about how none of us knew on that Saturday that 24 hours later, that fireman would be out there in those woods and in those fields fighting the fire of his life. None of us knew how life would change for everyone. We were just going about our daily lives.
As I finished cleaning my purse, I wondered how long it would be before I stopped associating things with that day the fire started. Oh I did this just before the fire started, or I went there to eat the morning the fire started. The fire has become the mental time marker. Maybe the moment it started was the end of one life and the beginning of another. Maybe that's why it seems so important and noteworthy.
Mostly likely its because those four days with the fires were so traumatic, even if you lost nothing, that all we can remember is before it started and then its as if we woke up four days later when the smoke cleared. Long days with no sleep and constant fear does odd things to our mental perceptions.
Either way, the purse is cleaned, the stickers are tucked away in my wallet as a reminder that life can change in an instant. A reminder that I will not take a moment for granted. Never again.
And neither should you.
Day 5 and Those Magnificent Blue Skies
When your town is small everyone knows everyone else and they probably know where your grandparents went to school and everything about everything. These people in My Town have been together for generations. They have watched the town grow from a two lane road to a highway, from Lock's Drugstore to the super Walmart. They have seen it all. They have been through so much through the decades that helping one another is not just for funerals, its for anytime someone is in need. I'm not originally from this town and I'm envious of the connection they have to one another. Of course, their kindness and generosity isn't only for the natives of this town. They give freely, its just how they are.
The skies were clear this morning for the second day. The beautiful blue sky was brilliant and the sun was shining bright and warm. I had almost forgotten what that looked like. A cold front brought fresh brisk winds back to our area. Instead of smoke and fire this time, we had lovely breezes and crisp blue skies. Five days and finally we are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. With the region still primed for more fires, we hold our collective breath but we are feeling less anxious and more hopeful.
I returned to work for several hours to help place and receive calls as we urgently tried to find our students and their families. Many were safe in their own homes and just as many were displaced and scattered across the numerous surrounding counties. The total count of lost homes now stands at just under 1500. I have 1500 students that attend my campus. Those numbers boggle the mind with its enormity.
Part of our campus was turned into a donation, collection and distribution center. The outpouring of donated clothing, toiletries and household goods was heartwarming. We soon had so much that is was open to the public. Everything free just come in and select what you can use.
Some homes untouched but in the areas affected by the fire will be without utilities for as long as six weeks. Families are having to relocate even though their world is still standing. So massive and complete was the fire that half of our town is now gone. Gone is the magnificent State Park that was the cornerstone of this town. Gone are the neighborhoods that surrounded the town. Gone are many of the families that made up our community.
All that may be difficult to imagine to those that live here and are still here. But something really wonderful is happening here in My Town. As I mentioned before, the outpouring of generosity simply left me speechless. As I manned the phones on my campus, I took call after call after call, people saying "What can I do to help?" They were so thoughtful, even asking if I was OK, if my home was OK. I'm also seeing the young people of this community busy helping, distributing, collecting, moving, being extra hands and using those strong bodies to help those weakened by the fire.
This fire, while it stole so much from so many, left in its path more than charred land and broken homes. It left a tender, caring spirit in its wake. I see people caring for each other on a level I've never known before. It is genuine and it is real. Its as if the hearts of each person here reached out and grabbed the closest hand to hold.
With the smoke gone and the fires farther away, every new day brings new healing. Soon we will open our campus doors,the school bell will ring and we will find our way back to the new normal. It will be OK, we will all be OK because we have each other along with tremendous love from people and places we never even knew existed.
I am blessed to have seen the worst and the best all in a single week.
The skies were clear this morning for the second day. The beautiful blue sky was brilliant and the sun was shining bright and warm. I had almost forgotten what that looked like. A cold front brought fresh brisk winds back to our area. Instead of smoke and fire this time, we had lovely breezes and crisp blue skies. Five days and finally we are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. With the region still primed for more fires, we hold our collective breath but we are feeling less anxious and more hopeful.
I returned to work for several hours to help place and receive calls as we urgently tried to find our students and their families. Many were safe in their own homes and just as many were displaced and scattered across the numerous surrounding counties. The total count of lost homes now stands at just under 1500. I have 1500 students that attend my campus. Those numbers boggle the mind with its enormity.
Part of our campus was turned into a donation, collection and distribution center. The outpouring of donated clothing, toiletries and household goods was heartwarming. We soon had so much that is was open to the public. Everything free just come in and select what you can use.
Some homes untouched but in the areas affected by the fire will be without utilities for as long as six weeks. Families are having to relocate even though their world is still standing. So massive and complete was the fire that half of our town is now gone. Gone is the magnificent State Park that was the cornerstone of this town. Gone are the neighborhoods that surrounded the town. Gone are many of the families that made up our community.
All that may be difficult to imagine to those that live here and are still here. But something really wonderful is happening here in My Town. As I mentioned before, the outpouring of generosity simply left me speechless. As I manned the phones on my campus, I took call after call after call, people saying "What can I do to help?" They were so thoughtful, even asking if I was OK, if my home was OK. I'm also seeing the young people of this community busy helping, distributing, collecting, moving, being extra hands and using those strong bodies to help those weakened by the fire.
This fire, while it stole so much from so many, left in its path more than charred land and broken homes. It left a tender, caring spirit in its wake. I see people caring for each other on a level I've never known before. It is genuine and it is real. Its as if the hearts of each person here reached out and grabbed the closest hand to hold.
With the smoke gone and the fires farther away, every new day brings new healing. Soon we will open our campus doors,the school bell will ring and we will find our way back to the new normal. It will be OK, we will all be OK because we have each other along with tremendous love from people and places we never even knew existed.
I am blessed to have seen the worst and the best all in a single week.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
One Picture, One Moment
Yet another aspect of this horrible fire is the plight of the animals. Both domestic and wild, its been a survival game for them. Many did not and we now see buzzards flying low, a sign that there is death in the fields and woods.
Many people were able to get their pets out in time, many were not as fortunate. So many stories of cats and dogs dying in the houses that burned, their owners away from home and unable to reach them in time.
On the land surrounding downtown are many farms and ranches. Cattle, horses and other livestock have had a home very close to My Town and their owners had struggled all summer long, enduring the drought to keep them fed and watered. When the fire appeared last Saturday and people immediately knew this was going to be bad, most had time to get horses and livestock moved and secured. Unfortunately that was not always the case. The same with pets that couldn't be caught by owners. Frightened by the smoke and fire, they did what instinct told them to do, they ran.
People are now finding lost dogs and cats, cattle are roaming as are horses. With no time to secure them, they were released from fences and allowed to flee the fire as best they could.
I looked through a friend's FB pictures from yesterday and found one that just said it all. It speaks to many things. The fire, the fear, the displacement, the desperation, the separation, the kindness, the compassion and the single moment of thousands of moments that make up the memories of this fire.
To this officer, I say thank you for taking a moment to just be there with this horse (might be a donkey). Lost, confused, injured, yet alive. Somehow alive. Somehow through that roaring fire and thick smoke, this animal managed to live. It just looks so tired and lost. Just like so many of the people of My Town. The fire affected everyone and everything.
This morning, Day 4, the smoke had settled again on the downtown area. I still hear helicopters and planes but reports from the air support team indicate that things are looking much much better. We desperately need much much better.
Do we dare to exhale?
Many people were able to get their pets out in time, many were not as fortunate. So many stories of cats and dogs dying in the houses that burned, their owners away from home and unable to reach them in time.
On the land surrounding downtown are many farms and ranches. Cattle, horses and other livestock have had a home very close to My Town and their owners had struggled all summer long, enduring the drought to keep them fed and watered. When the fire appeared last Saturday and people immediately knew this was going to be bad, most had time to get horses and livestock moved and secured. Unfortunately that was not always the case. The same with pets that couldn't be caught by owners. Frightened by the smoke and fire, they did what instinct told them to do, they ran.
People are now finding lost dogs and cats, cattle are roaming as are horses. With no time to secure them, they were released from fences and allowed to flee the fire as best they could.
I looked through a friend's FB pictures from yesterday and found one that just said it all. It speaks to many things. The fire, the fear, the displacement, the desperation, the separation, the kindness, the compassion and the single moment of thousands of moments that make up the memories of this fire.
To this officer, I say thank you for taking a moment to just be there with this horse (might be a donkey). Lost, confused, injured, yet alive. Somehow alive. Somehow through that roaring fire and thick smoke, this animal managed to live. It just looks so tired and lost. Just like so many of the people of My Town. The fire affected everyone and everything.
This morning, Day 4, the smoke had settled again on the downtown area. I still hear helicopters and planes but reports from the air support team indicate that things are looking much much better. We desperately need much much better.
Do we dare to exhale?
Faces On A Map
It seems the whole country has seen whats going on in my little town. Prior to this past weekend, if I mentioned my town's name to someone in another part of the state or another part of the country they might say "from where?". No one knew where we were. Now everyone knows because of the fire. That monstrous beast that stole so much from my town and devastated so many people put us on the map and on the radar.
I have seen amazing photos taken of the fire over the past few days. It was every bit as big and bad as those pictures represent. The amount of homes lost and land charred is newsworthy. But what seems to be missing are the people and their individual stories, of which there are many.
In my little town, we have some people that have money and some that do not. When it came to the fire, both lost equally. People, regardless of how much money they had, what they drove or the quality of clothing in their closets, lost everything. Yet there is one thing that will serve as the defining line between the two groups and that is their ability to rebuild. Those with ample money had insurance and those that lived a modest life didn't. Not through their own personal neglect but simply because they didn't have enough money to take care of that detail. Bills to pay, children to feed and clothe, medical bills and sporadic work, simply didn't leave extra money for the luxury of full coverage for the homes and belongings.
I have heard people say, "well, if they didn't have insurance, then they deserve to not have a place to live." After hearing this, I had to think long and hard about how we view our fellow man. In the face of utter devastation, are we really so calloused that we can judge someone else, a complete stranger and then dismiss them and their needs? Are we really going to divide ourselves into the deserving and the undeserving?
My brother, who has left his home to stay with us while the fire is still a threat, went into town to have coffee with some friends. One had already lost his home to the fire. Self employed, his friend also watched his small mechanic shop go up in flames. So, in one person, there is an example of someone not only losing their modest home but also their livelihood.
As they sat there drinking their coffee and talking about the day so far, what they had seen and where the smoke was, they watched a family come into the restaurant. This three generation family sat down at the table near them. They overheard one of the children ask the dad for a quarter to put into one of those penny toy machines that now cost a whole lot more. The father sadly shook his head and said, "No, we cant afford that right now." His friend dug in his pocket, finding all kinds of change but no quarters, so he took what he did have to the counter and got what he needed. He then took the quarter over to the little girl and off she went to claim her prize.
A few minutes later, the grandfather came over to the table where my brother and friends sat. Tears streaming down his face, he simply said "Thank you". No explanation as to why that one quarter was so important but in light of all that has happened to the people of this town, a random act of kindness can have an overwhelming impact and it can touch people deeply. We all feel that here, the need to go the extra mile to help in the face of so much pain. Sometimes its as simple as a quarter that feels like a million dollars.
Another man my brother talked to today, was an older gentleman. He told my brother about how he was going to purchase the last of the wood he would need to start building his home. He had been saving and storing all the lumber in a large barn and on Saturday, he would have enough and the last purchase of wood would be made. All the years of saving and planning were coming to an end and soon he could begin building his new home. Before he could make that last purchase, the fire came through and with five minutes notice to evacuate, he watched not only his home but all the lumber in the barn go up in flames.
In his conversations with people today, of which there were five including his friend, all had lost everything and none had insurance. I'm sure the stories I've just shared can be echoed a thousand times in my small town. Each story unique yet all have the same ending. The fire stole everything and the future is uncertain.
I know that as I deal with people in the community, I will be doing so without judgment. I will be treating each with the dignity and respect they deserve as human beings. They are people existing under pressures none of us can imagine unless we have been there. How much money they have means nothing. Whether or not they had extra funds to ensure insurance coverage means absolutely nothing to me. They are a value to our community and they are worthy of my compassion simply because they exist.
It really is that simple.
I have seen amazing photos taken of the fire over the past few days. It was every bit as big and bad as those pictures represent. The amount of homes lost and land charred is newsworthy. But what seems to be missing are the people and their individual stories, of which there are many.
In my little town, we have some people that have money and some that do not. When it came to the fire, both lost equally. People, regardless of how much money they had, what they drove or the quality of clothing in their closets, lost everything. Yet there is one thing that will serve as the defining line between the two groups and that is their ability to rebuild. Those with ample money had insurance and those that lived a modest life didn't. Not through their own personal neglect but simply because they didn't have enough money to take care of that detail. Bills to pay, children to feed and clothe, medical bills and sporadic work, simply didn't leave extra money for the luxury of full coverage for the homes and belongings.
I have heard people say, "well, if they didn't have insurance, then they deserve to not have a place to live." After hearing this, I had to think long and hard about how we view our fellow man. In the face of utter devastation, are we really so calloused that we can judge someone else, a complete stranger and then dismiss them and their needs? Are we really going to divide ourselves into the deserving and the undeserving?
My brother, who has left his home to stay with us while the fire is still a threat, went into town to have coffee with some friends. One had already lost his home to the fire. Self employed, his friend also watched his small mechanic shop go up in flames. So, in one person, there is an example of someone not only losing their modest home but also their livelihood.
As they sat there drinking their coffee and talking about the day so far, what they had seen and where the smoke was, they watched a family come into the restaurant. This three generation family sat down at the table near them. They overheard one of the children ask the dad for a quarter to put into one of those penny toy machines that now cost a whole lot more. The father sadly shook his head and said, "No, we cant afford that right now." His friend dug in his pocket, finding all kinds of change but no quarters, so he took what he did have to the counter and got what he needed. He then took the quarter over to the little girl and off she went to claim her prize.
A few minutes later, the grandfather came over to the table where my brother and friends sat. Tears streaming down his face, he simply said "Thank you". No explanation as to why that one quarter was so important but in light of all that has happened to the people of this town, a random act of kindness can have an overwhelming impact and it can touch people deeply. We all feel that here, the need to go the extra mile to help in the face of so much pain. Sometimes its as simple as a quarter that feels like a million dollars.
Another man my brother talked to today, was an older gentleman. He told my brother about how he was going to purchase the last of the wood he would need to start building his home. He had been saving and storing all the lumber in a large barn and on Saturday, he would have enough and the last purchase of wood would be made. All the years of saving and planning were coming to an end and soon he could begin building his new home. Before he could make that last purchase, the fire came through and with five minutes notice to evacuate, he watched not only his home but all the lumber in the barn go up in flames.
In his conversations with people today, of which there were five including his friend, all had lost everything and none had insurance. I'm sure the stories I've just shared can be echoed a thousand times in my small town. Each story unique yet all have the same ending. The fire stole everything and the future is uncertain.
I know that as I deal with people in the community, I will be doing so without judgment. I will be treating each with the dignity and respect they deserve as human beings. They are people existing under pressures none of us can imagine unless we have been there. How much money they have means nothing. Whether or not they had extra funds to ensure insurance coverage means absolutely nothing to me. They are a value to our community and they are worthy of my compassion simply because they exist.
It really is that simple.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Holding Patterns Aren't Just for Planes
As we enter the third day of this fire event, the morning sky was as it has been for the past two days, smokey and ominous. Fires continue to the east and now the west of our small town. The north appears to have smoke and the south more than yesterday.
Slowly as the morning progressed, the sun's light was dimmed by the growing smoke in the sky . It is the third day of these fires. We began to smell smoke for the first time since the fires began. The wind had been pushing it away but today, today the thick smoke found its way into our yards. Faint at first, then so strong that it was difficult to breathe. Ash began falling from the sky and we wondered where exactly this fire was. It seemed so close, so very close.
Our bodies are tired as are our minds. The constant waiting for information takes a told on those waiting on a possible evacuation. But we have it good. We woke up in our homes, in our own beds yet free to wander around all our possessions. So many of the people of this town are not. Those are the people I wanted to write about this morning.
As if hidden by the smoke that blankets our community, these people who have lost everything are more than displaced. They have left the area or are staying locally with family or friends. They wake up on someone else's sofa or in someone else's bed. They look at all they have in the world and it all fits in a single suitcase. All those everyday tomorrows and the plans they made are no longer clear. The future is hazy, not unlike the sky. Evacuees? Displaced? These people are so much more than an adjective. They are mothers and fathers, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. They are young and the not so young. They represent all ethnic and social background.
Then there are those people with no place to go. Many too proud to go to a local shelter or unwilling to abandon family pets. So they are sleeping in their cars. Local gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, even the Walmart is a sea of RVs and cars with families living in them. Everyone just trying to find a place to be. Sometimes all you want is your own parking place in the middle of a crowded parking lot. Just a place for you and your family. Just a place when there is no place to be. They are lost for now, coping with a world that changed in a day and trying to find their way through the new normal. The fire took their worlds and cared not their status in it and we should not be lulled into complacency by their label or their numbers. They are us and they need time to heal and help to rebuild.
With more than 5000 people in this town evacuated, the number of displaced people and families is staggering. How do you go from having a home and all the things that make up your personal world to nothing but the clothes on your back, your family sleeping in a car in your own prized parking spot in a Walmart parking lot? I guess more importantly, how do you recover from it all?
Those of us left in town have opened our doors to those in need. Offers have gone out to those who need a meal, something to drink, a shower or just a quiet place to take a nap. Offers have gone out to temporarily house horses and livestock and pets. Up and down my street, I can see extra cars and RVs, I can hear extra dogs barking and I can see our town in the midst of change and upheaval.
How we took for granted our mundane, normal lives. How we took for granted the beauty of our town. How we took for granted all that we had. But look at who we are. We are a people that are kind and generous and giving. In the midst of tragedy, there are moments of compassion and care. We are people of a small town in Texas where neighbors help neighbors and hardships are shared. We are a people that will endure and recover and restore. We just need the fires to end so we can get busy doing what we need to do.
It is day three and I hear the planes. The battle isn't over yet nor is it lost.
 |
| View from Austin looking towards my town. Another great pic of a really bad fire. |
Slowly as the morning progressed, the sun's light was dimmed by the growing smoke in the sky . It is the third day of these fires. We began to smell smoke for the first time since the fires began. The wind had been pushing it away but today, today the thick smoke found its way into our yards. Faint at first, then so strong that it was difficult to breathe. Ash began falling from the sky and we wondered where exactly this fire was. It seemed so close, so very close.
Our bodies are tired as are our minds. The constant waiting for information takes a told on those waiting on a possible evacuation. But we have it good. We woke up in our homes, in our own beds yet free to wander around all our possessions. So many of the people of this town are not. Those are the people I wanted to write about this morning.
As if hidden by the smoke that blankets our community, these people who have lost everything are more than displaced. They have left the area or are staying locally with family or friends. They wake up on someone else's sofa or in someone else's bed. They look at all they have in the world and it all fits in a single suitcase. All those everyday tomorrows and the plans they made are no longer clear. The future is hazy, not unlike the sky. Evacuees? Displaced? These people are so much more than an adjective. They are mothers and fathers, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. They are young and the not so young. They represent all ethnic and social background.
Then there are those people with no place to go. Many too proud to go to a local shelter or unwilling to abandon family pets. So they are sleeping in their cars. Local gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, even the Walmart is a sea of RVs and cars with families living in them. Everyone just trying to find a place to be. Sometimes all you want is your own parking place in the middle of a crowded parking lot. Just a place for you and your family. Just a place when there is no place to be. They are lost for now, coping with a world that changed in a day and trying to find their way through the new normal. The fire took their worlds and cared not their status in it and we should not be lulled into complacency by their label or their numbers. They are us and they need time to heal and help to rebuild.
With more than 5000 people in this town evacuated, the number of displaced people and families is staggering. How do you go from having a home and all the things that make up your personal world to nothing but the clothes on your back, your family sleeping in a car in your own prized parking spot in a Walmart parking lot? I guess more importantly, how do you recover from it all?
Those of us left in town have opened our doors to those in need. Offers have gone out to those who need a meal, something to drink, a shower or just a quiet place to take a nap. Offers have gone out to temporarily house horses and livestock and pets. Up and down my street, I can see extra cars and RVs, I can hear extra dogs barking and I can see our town in the midst of change and upheaval.
How we took for granted our mundane, normal lives. How we took for granted the beauty of our town. How we took for granted all that we had. But look at who we are. We are a people that are kind and generous and giving. In the midst of tragedy, there are moments of compassion and care. We are people of a small town in Texas where neighbors help neighbors and hardships are shared. We are a people that will endure and recover and restore. We just need the fires to end so we can get busy doing what we need to do.
It is day three and I hear the planes. The battle isn't over yet nor is it lost.
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Fire Claims A Second Day
As we awoke to clearer skies and cooler temps, we imagined a better day. It was not long before the smoke began to rise and it seemed like yesterday all over again. In lieu of dramatic words, I thought I would simply let pictures tell the story of this fire that has held us hostage for now 48 hours. Giving credit where credit is due, many of these pictures were taken by my daughter, some were taken by others and posted on FB. I am deeply grateful to all those that shared pictures of what its like here in my little town. The different perspectives help give a deeper understanding to what is happening here. Thank you to all who shared your photos and to my daughter for getting out there and recording what will certainly be memories we will never forget.
The fire is not contained and with humidity levels extremely low, the battle will continue another day. Over 5,000 residents of my town have been evacuated and nearly 500 homes destroyed. No matter what tomorrow brings, my town is changed forever. As are the lives of so many of it's people.
 |
| An amazing picture - kudos to the photographer |
The fire is not contained and with humidity levels extremely low, the battle will continue another day. Over 5,000 residents of my town have been evacuated and nearly 500 homes destroyed. No matter what tomorrow brings, my town is changed forever. As are the lives of so many of it's people.
Which is Worse, Waiting or Running?
This exceptional day in my town has led to a very long night. What started as a quiet morning, peaceful and calm, followed by lunch with the kids enjoying great food and atmosphere, has turned into something beyond belief.
After noon, the winds picked up here. When we stepped outside the restaurant, the wind blew dust and dirt in our eyes and mouths. We watched the wind blow dirt across the roads and My Son kept saying "Dust Bowl, Dust Bowl". I could imagine those that lived through that terrible decade had seen many days just like today.
Then the smell of smoke and the sirens were heard. Once again, our hearts sank at the thought of a fire after so many months of heat with no rain at all. Everyone went on alert and this time, with very good reason. This fire was no ordinary fire. This fire would be whipped by high winds and fueled by dry and dead vegetation and trees. Nothing was surviving this summer of drought. We all knew this would eventually happen. I guess we just all prayed it wouldn't.
Dark smoke became visible in the sky to the east. It was the blackest darkest smoke I've ever seen. By the time the fire was spreading rapidly, it appeared to cover the sky behind my home. We listened to alarms and emergency transmissions all day long. One subdivision after another was evacuated. Friends and coworkers alike affected and displaced. Then news came of more fires breaking out as the winds continued to whip across the area. We knew they could never contain a fire of this size with the wind at the helm.
News came of this store and that home and this area all lost to the fire and still it continued. The smoke now looked like clouds in the sky, tall and storm like in appearance. It looked like a bad storm was coming. A storm that would bring rain to our parched land. But this was no storm that would help us. This was a firestorm. This storm would consume lives and dreams and memories. Mementos of years and loved ones and milestones. All gone in minutes. The beast was hungry and very angry.
Night has fallen now and we can no longer see the smoke that served as an indicator of where the beast was located. Fires continue to break out around town and we have been warned that everyone in town must be ready to evacuate.
We gathered up some belongings and made a plan of what would be taken if and when we were forced to leave. As I went around the house, I began to wonder which was worse, no notice to evacuate, just grabbing whatever you could find, or having time to think about it and try to make decisions. I looked at the big TV in the front room. Never in my life did I think I would have such a luxury. I looked at my bed, my favorite place in the world, never would I find another one like that. I looked at my mother's old Singer pedal sewing machine and the Jelly Jar Cabinet. I looked at the boxes of old photo's my mom had kept all her life. Not much could be taken in the evacuation. We grabbed a few days worth of clothing, the safes, our purses and other things we would need to just carry on another day. All the belongings that had taken a lifetime to acquire would have to stay behind should we need to leave.
Which is worse, no time to think, or too much time to think? I don't really think it makes a difference as both will be filled with regret. Regret that I didn't have time to secure this item or too much time and choosing to leave an item behind. All these things that make up my world. All these things that have been in the way but too precious to part with.
So if the beast comes my way tonight or tomorrow when the winds are expected to increase, we will take the few things we have packed, our animals, our children and leave. I decided that if God cleaned my slate and forced me to change everything in my world, well, He must have a very good reason for it.
I will be praying for those that lost everything today while I pray that God decides that my slate does not need attention and that my world can be left as it is. I have all night to pray as there is no way I can sleep.
After noon, the winds picked up here. When we stepped outside the restaurant, the wind blew dust and dirt in our eyes and mouths. We watched the wind blow dirt across the roads and My Son kept saying "Dust Bowl, Dust Bowl". I could imagine those that lived through that terrible decade had seen many days just like today.
Then the smell of smoke and the sirens were heard. Once again, our hearts sank at the thought of a fire after so many months of heat with no rain at all. Everyone went on alert and this time, with very good reason. This fire was no ordinary fire. This fire would be whipped by high winds and fueled by dry and dead vegetation and trees. Nothing was surviving this summer of drought. We all knew this would eventually happen. I guess we just all prayed it wouldn't.
Dark smoke became visible in the sky to the east. It was the blackest darkest smoke I've ever seen. By the time the fire was spreading rapidly, it appeared to cover the sky behind my home. We listened to alarms and emergency transmissions all day long. One subdivision after another was evacuated. Friends and coworkers alike affected and displaced. Then news came of more fires breaking out as the winds continued to whip across the area. We knew they could never contain a fire of this size with the wind at the helm.
 |
| Picture courtesy of S. Braley and FB |
News came of this store and that home and this area all lost to the fire and still it continued. The smoke now looked like clouds in the sky, tall and storm like in appearance. It looked like a bad storm was coming. A storm that would bring rain to our parched land. But this was no storm that would help us. This was a firestorm. This storm would consume lives and dreams and memories. Mementos of years and loved ones and milestones. All gone in minutes. The beast was hungry and very angry.
Night has fallen now and we can no longer see the smoke that served as an indicator of where the beast was located. Fires continue to break out around town and we have been warned that everyone in town must be ready to evacuate.
We gathered up some belongings and made a plan of what would be taken if and when we were forced to leave. As I went around the house, I began to wonder which was worse, no notice to evacuate, just grabbing whatever you could find, or having time to think about it and try to make decisions. I looked at the big TV in the front room. Never in my life did I think I would have such a luxury. I looked at my bed, my favorite place in the world, never would I find another one like that. I looked at my mother's old Singer pedal sewing machine and the Jelly Jar Cabinet. I looked at the boxes of old photo's my mom had kept all her life. Not much could be taken in the evacuation. We grabbed a few days worth of clothing, the safes, our purses and other things we would need to just carry on another day. All the belongings that had taken a lifetime to acquire would have to stay behind should we need to leave.
Which is worse, no time to think, or too much time to think? I don't really think it makes a difference as both will be filled with regret. Regret that I didn't have time to secure this item or too much time and choosing to leave an item behind. All these things that make up my world. All these things that have been in the way but too precious to part with.
So if the beast comes my way tonight or tomorrow when the winds are expected to increase, we will take the few things we have packed, our animals, our children and leave. I decided that if God cleaned my slate and forced me to change everything in my world, well, He must have a very good reason for it.
I will be praying for those that lost everything today while I pray that God decides that my slate does not need attention and that my world can be left as it is. I have all night to pray as there is no way I can sleep.
Friday, August 5, 2011
When Spark Meets Drought
There are few words that scare people living in a drought more than the word fire.
Cell phones sound, emails fly and there is a mass communication about this one word. The entire area around my town is a timber box. The grass is long dead and dry, trees wilting under the oppressive daily heat. Temperatures today again reached 106 degrees.
Then we see smoke. Your heart sinks and your stomach tightens. A thousand thoughts pass through your mind. You wonder, am I ready to evacuate my home? Am I ready to surrender all I have to a fire? Is this the day the drought and a spark change my life and my world?
With the radio scanners going, clinging to information, we wait. We watch the sky to the north and the smoke that covers it.
Its so very hot. I think about the men and women fighting a grass fire in 106 degree weather. I wonder which way its moving. I wonder who and what is in its path.
The drought will claim many victims as it progresses this year. Animals, trees, crops, homes and so much more. I'm not sure why mother nature has turned so cruel to our state. I just know the cruelty is nearly unbearable.
Cell phones sound, emails fly and there is a mass communication about this one word. The entire area around my town is a timber box. The grass is long dead and dry, trees wilting under the oppressive daily heat. Temperatures today again reached 106 degrees.
Then we see smoke. Your heart sinks and your stomach tightens. A thousand thoughts pass through your mind. You wonder, am I ready to evacuate my home? Am I ready to surrender all I have to a fire? Is this the day the drought and a spark change my life and my world?
With the radio scanners going, clinging to information, we wait. We watch the sky to the north and the smoke that covers it.
Its so very hot. I think about the men and women fighting a grass fire in 106 degree weather. I wonder which way its moving. I wonder who and what is in its path.
The drought will claim many victims as it progresses this year. Animals, trees, crops, homes and so much more. I'm not sure why mother nature has turned so cruel to our state. I just know the cruelty is nearly unbearable.
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