The Fires in San Diego County
Thanks to all of you for your concern. We have heard from many friends and relatives who view the news and wonder or worry about us. We are well!
We arrived in Santee on Sunday and were told "don't get too comfortable" by our neighbor who was packing away the outside things. Since we had driven through sand storms and then smoke on our way down the 15, his comments did not settle the nerves. Over the next two days, we experienced ash on the car and saw or breathed in more smoke than one of Bobbi's campfires. But we seem to be in a fairly safe area. Our neighbors on both sides have been evacuated from their homes and were lucky enough to have access to an RV. I talked with a gal this morning who is due to deliver her second child in two weeks; amazingly enough, she was in good spirits - at that point in time, her home had been spared, but they could not go home because it was still too dangerous.
For three days, the television stations broadcast all day and night with news of spreading fires and mandatory evacuations. Tonight, there is finally "real" shows on in the evening with scrolling updates on the bottom of the screen. All schools are closed in the entire county until Monday and the universities in the area have been closed as well. We are told to limit cell phone use and electrical use due to demand and shortages.
This has been, and continues to be, an amazing experience - one we could have lived without, actually, but interesting and very sad. More people have been evacuated then in Katrina with over 1400 homes destroyed. At the Chargers stadium, over 11,000 people "live" surrounded by their pets and horses. At the mall where we go to work on Saturday, part of the parking lot has been given over to people and their evacuated horses - a strange site in the middle of a large metropolitan area.
No pictures today; perhaps in the future. Bottom line: We are well!
We arrived in Santee on Sunday and were told "don't get too comfortable" by our neighbor who was packing away the outside things. Since we had driven through sand storms and then smoke on our way down the 15, his comments did not settle the nerves. Over the next two days, we experienced ash on the car and saw or breathed in more smoke than one of Bobbi's campfires. But we seem to be in a fairly safe area. Our neighbors on both sides have been evacuated from their homes and were lucky enough to have access to an RV. I talked with a gal this morning who is due to deliver her second child in two weeks; amazingly enough, she was in good spirits - at that point in time, her home had been spared, but they could not go home because it was still too dangerous.
For three days, the television stations broadcast all day and night with news of spreading fires and mandatory evacuations. Tonight, there is finally "real" shows on in the evening with scrolling updates on the bottom of the screen. All schools are closed in the entire county until Monday and the universities in the area have been closed as well. We are told to limit cell phone use and electrical use due to demand and shortages.
This has been, and continues to be, an amazing experience - one we could have lived without, actually, but interesting and very sad. More people have been evacuated then in Katrina with over 1400 homes destroyed. At the Chargers stadium, over 11,000 people "live" surrounded by their pets and horses. At the mall where we go to work on Saturday, part of the parking lot has been given over to people and their evacuated horses - a strange site in the middle of a large metropolitan area.
No pictures today; perhaps in the future. Bottom line: We are well!
posted by jf and me | 10:13 PM
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