California Wildfires

[LovinPowell]

With everything that is goin on in the Southern California wildfires, I thought that we should see if anybody on this site is being very affected, and if they are if there is anything that any of us can do to help.

If you are being affected, either through loss or evacuation, we are praying for you and your situation.

[Coach]

For us we have only been able to do walk through the last 2 days and we are suppose to play tomorrow night. My guess is the game might be moved to Saturday or worse Monday. We are just starting to get more air help here in OC, but the fire is moving into a very dense area of forest. It might get much worse before it gets better. Thank God the winds have died down some.

[Domsz06]

if anyone on here needs help please speak up, as I will help as well if I can do anything.

[Moki]

Ditto

[G-MONEY]

I just want to know where the 800,000 people went last night they only had about 18,000 or so at Qualcomm...

[Domsz06]

aren't the free ways jamed? they are probably stuck on it!! I know 101 is packed up here in Santa Maria

[G-MONEY]

True, the last few days it has taken my dad and my sister an extra hour to get to work.....as for me for some reason it's taken me less time all week.

[Moki]

Maybe the news reports are keeping people off the road. We thought that the freeways were going to be jammed during the Olympics. Actually, they were wide open because most people were scared off them.

[Domsz06]

that's weird!

[Domsz06]

really MOKI? that's so weird!! Bet it was nice to drive on them then eh?

[Moki]

Yeah, it was great, cut about 15 minutes off of the commute to the city. We finally got HOV lanes this year and that has also helped.

[ragboy]

It was like that when the olympics came to L.A. No one was on the road, and no one was hitting local businesses.

I have a planned trip back to my old stomping grounds to visit my grandfather for the weekend. He lives in Northridge. I am hoping by Friday the canyon country/valencia fires will be contained enough to get through ok. He is getting very old, and it may be one of my last times to see him. He pretty much raised me til I was about 12. I am gearing up for some long detours.

I grew up from 13 on in Simi Valley. The hills caught fire almost every year this time. Some worse than others, it was scary. But I don't think I have ever seen anything like what is going on in SD. That's just nuts.

I live in the forest now. I am prepared for it. I have already resigned myself that someday my house will probably burn down.

[Jason B]

I live in the forest now. I am prepared for it. I have already resigned myself that someday my house will probably burn down.

That's a sad resignation. Hopefully you're wrong. I work with a lady who's home burnt and it was a very trying experience for her. Just think about all those precious articles that are gone forever: children's foot impression, photos, H.S. yearbooks, family heirlooms...... you get the point.
Makes a pretty good argument for a safe deposit box off site.

[ragboy]

Everyone up here pretty much feels that way, its a matter of time. But its the price you pay to live in such beauty. All of my memories are pretty much digital. I have a huge backup disk, that gets backed up to once a week, and it is swapped with an identical copy in a safe deposit box in the center of town.

99% chance that I will have plenty of warning, just grab the kids/dogs, and a few important things, mostly computers so I can keep working and drive down the hill. Do it early before the holdouts all try to leave at once. That is the plan.

[Stoneman]

I guess I'll step up as the rep for San Diego...

We got evacuated on Monday morning about 11a, spent the night in a hotel room at the beach with 6 adults, 6 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat and 1 rabbit...all in one room-fun, fun, fun! We we're able to get back into our house in Scripps Ranch (home of the 2004 fires) on Tuesday at about 3p and once again everything was fine. I turned around and left for work (police) at about 430p and am now working 14 hour shifts helping with more evacuations, city security (looters), etc. I packed up the wife and kids and sent them to San Francisco to stay with the grandparents, so that they could get away from all the smoke and truth be told it's one less thing for me to worry about.

Overall the local, state and federal response has been incredible-I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! People are doing what they're supposed to do and the amount of support is amazing-everybody is really taking care of each other. The fires are still out of control and evacuations are on-going, but the winds are finally starting to die down!

When all is said and done...a couple of days at the river (even if it's getting colder) with an ice chest full of beer and water that looks like butter, will be just what the doctor ordered!