We're finally settled in for the night & it's impossible to answer all the e-mails. Yes, we were evacuated today. It was one of those surreal experiences where I watched the news reports about a fire, miles away from our home, drove to pick the boys up after school & came home to Police, Fire & Search & Rescue Officers telling us we had five minutes to evacuate. What do you grab when given five minutes? What is truly irreplaceable? We left our home with our children, pets, family photos & some jewelry. I also packed things to make the kids feel safe & comfortable for our temporary relocation: some small toys, school supplies, clothes & a book to read as a bedtime story. The kids are sleeping soundly, but I don't think Darren & I will be able to. They're expecting 70 mile per hour winds tonight & the fire is headed straight towards our neighborhood!
Erin, I saved the link to your blog a long time ago and never looked at it again. Just decided to click on it tonight and saw your heart renching post. I will keep your home and family in my prayers. Cheryl Potter aka Cheryl Wildfong from Serrano Jr Hi
ReplyDeleteErin, I'm so sorry to hear this! I will pray for you, your family and neighbors.
ReplyDeleteHi Erin,
ReplyDeleteMy prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.
Nature is truely unique. It can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.
Good Luck.
GaryB
I'm sure you'll be fine. I went through it last year in Silverado
ReplyDeleteCanyon. I left for work and wasn't able to return. I had to live at my Mom's for two weeks. My daughter was able to pack some of my things, but we forgot my prescription meds, contact lenses, glasses, and so on. My Mom lives in a one bedroom apartment. It wasn't easy for all of us to sleep on the floor for two weeks, but we were grateful. Unfortunately, we met up with a fireman who was from out of the area and knew nothing about our neighborhood but he proceeded to misinform us that our house burned down. So, don't believe anything anyone tells you till you see it for yourself. A friend of mine was misinformed also. Hers was years before my ordeal. And then we returned to our home and the only problems were the foam on the house you have to clean it off. Most people painted thereafter. And our rakes and shovels were missing...firemen used them. And everything in the refrigerator had to be thrown out. That was worth a pretty penny. The nice things that were offered us from various resources were kind but unfortunately not more than junk food and useful toiletries. We got used to the media in the neighborhood, but they were reporting false information since they didn't know one canyon from the other. So, try not to worry. And after you deal with the fires, then you should expect to deal with the mudslides thereafter. Be prepared. Sometimes you have to just drive to the neighborhood to know anything, or keep in touch with neighbors if you have their cell numbers. Good luck Erin!