Wednesday fire report

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007

Previous Diary notes – Sunday/Monday – Tuesday – Next – Thursday – Friday & Saturday

(click the link, below)

San Diego Union Tribune online – headline news	NBC broadcasting San Diego – headline news
ABC News – headline news Google fire maps – interactive	CBS News – headline news – entire website dedicated to fire reporting & contact information Homes Destroyed – list
Fox News, San Diego – headline news	2007 San Diego County wild fires – my photos from home – (Once you reach the WEBSHOTS page, click the SLIDE SHOW icon in the upper right corner menu. Adjust for a shorter time per slide (beneath photos) if you prefer.)
San Diego County Fire details – home addresses (burned) – all activity updated throughout the day	Local Information - call 211 from within San Diego County: http://www.211sandiego.org/

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007

Hello Friends & family,

Sunday - the smoke from the Witch Creek fires cloaked the area.
Monday - we were evacuated for most of the afternoon. We slept at home but woke hourly to take a visual check of the fire conditions across the valley from our home.
Tuesday - we were home and monitoring the fire reports on television, responding to out-of-state family & friends, frantic to know we were safe. I am thankful for our safety and we are grieving for friends who have lost all.

We are learning that a couple of my friends have lost their homes, and my son's girlfriend Tanya is staying with us – her mother's home & avocado ranch is now in a firestorm area just north of us as the winds and path of the fires move around. (The Witch Creek fire and the Poomacha fire have now merged – the area around Escondido and Valley Center are now under siege).

The electrical power in San Diego County is another issue here - our two main sources of power to this area are both in severely impacted fire areas, still active. Therefore, we may lose power at any time.

Yes, we have been watching our televisions non stop - the media is reporting every advisory from fire and city officials. Residents call the stations with eye witness reports of addresses that are lost or saved.

It has been impressive – people are efficient, there is little sensationalism, people are caring for one another, businesses are donating food, cots, water, pet supplies. The news stations have been an active part of distributing accurate information - cross checking details and announcing road closures, evacuation locations and more.

The evacuated neighborhoods are moving around as the fires move – and some areas are able to return to their homes now that the danger has passed. The officials continually remind folks NOT to return to their homes that are under mandatory evacuation. No reports of looting within the evacuated areas – it is very heartwarming to see the cooperation between law enforcement, military, civilians, firefighters, incoming fire fighters from other states. Just amazing.

EVACUATION—What would YOU pack?

Surprisingly, it was not difficult to determine what items to take - we were packing in advance, preparing for
potential evacuation.

We packed irreplaceable items:

Family photos
Pets, kennels, pet food, leash, litter box
Insurance papers
All personal documents (birth certificates, marriage license, passports, wills, etc.) in a fireproof lock box
Bank, tax information, account numbers
Quilts, quilt tops, current manuscript & files
Computers (hard drives, computer "tower" and laptops)
Camera
Changes of clothing
Medications, eye glasses
Phone numbers / address book
Thomas Guide map, small post-it notes (we stick the little notes on the map when we
hear of an area that has lost homes, or where they are currently fighting the fires)
Binoculars
battery operated radio, flashlights
water, food, face masks to filter out ash
jewelery

We did not pack replaceable items such as televisions or sewing machines in the car – they are tangible items that can be purchased and replaced. My husband parked a collectible car out on the curb, as vehicles in garages will burn with the home, should it be engulfed in flames.

As San Diego residents, we are all going to be an active part of assisting our friends and neighbors who lost everything to heal and rebuild.

Don & I plan to approach neighbors with a brush clearing movement in OUR neighborhood – the overgrowth is not on our property but grows straight up to our yard on all sides. We have a large grove of 60-80 foot eucalyptus trees just feet from our back yard.

I am planning to resume limited work on the book today – I bundled up the QUILTS and QUILT TOPS for the future book, and all the others from the previous books – into those large black suitcases loaded in the Suburban (seen on the photos on my Webshots) .

Thank you for your prayers & letters of concern! Southern Californians need your prayers! Thank you!

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