October 23, 2007 • 9:23 AM
As the fire creeped over the hill last night a voluntary evacuation notice was issued for our city. As the day wore on the air quality really diminished and when we saw flames we decided it would be best if we packed the important things and went a little further inland.
A friend who has a house staged to sell offered to let us stay there. We joked that we were refugees in Mission Viejo. But, it was nice to be able to stay together, at least that was some sense of normalcy in all of the other craziness.
Work is currently being used as a staging area for local fire departments and the high school up the street is a relief area for those evacuated from the Santiago, San Diego, Irvine/Orange and Silverado Canyon fires.
It just feels surreal. But the outpouring of care and concern is amazing. We were flooded with offers of places to stay, offers to help move things and general love and support.
God is good. I’m oddly calm.
Filed under: Living in LA LA Land , , evacuation, fire, orange county
We thought we were out of the woods when the fire turned west instead of east but today the fire creeps closer. From our offices in Lake Forest we can see the hills smoking and pieces of orange glow. It’s crazy.
We can definitely smell fire and the smoke is filtering into the building. A lot of people are suffering with burning eyes, coughing and allergies.
We just learned that the The Wal-Mart about 1 mile away, near Alton and the 241 has just evacuated. At this point, the fire itself is about three miles away. It is definitely getting closer.
A lot of people had trouble even getting into the area to get to work because of so many road closures around us.
We are praying for safety, the winds to calm down and wisdom for leaders, firefighters and those whose home is in danger.
Since I live so close to work I really have no where to go. I opted to just stay at work since I’m closer to the fire if I head into the foothills and go home. It’s very odd.
Filed under: Living in LA LA Land , evacuation, fire, Lake Forest, orange county
October 21, 2007 • 8:20 PM
Tina and I spent the day at Disneyland. The 60 mph winds made it hard to walk and debris was constantly flying into our eyes. For a moment on the ferris wheel, in California Adventure, we wondered if we were going to blow off. It was insanely windy. The Santa Anas are a’blowin’.
On our way home, on the 5 South, we saw the sky fill with thick, black clouds, but in Anaheim couldn’t see the source of it. We had no idea if there was a building on fire or what. But as we approached the Orange Crush the air got thicker and darker. Finally as we came upon the Tustin Market Place, at Jamboree, we could see the flames.
The hills near the 241 freeway were on fire. We live in that direction. We wondered how close they are to our house. So we popped on KNX 1070 and learned that the 241 at the 133 was closed and that the fire was blowing towards Irvine.
It is headed in our general direction. On OCRegister.com we learned that officials are going to start bulldozing trenches in Whiting Ranch, the one thing right now that protects us from the fires. So it’s about 7 miles away from us. There are a lot of buildings between us and the fires but it is a little close for comfort.
So it made me wonder, what would I take if I have to evacuate? The first thought that came to mind is my computer. It has all of my photos on it, grad school files, partial journals, etc. My second thought was my jewelry – the nice stuff my parents have given me for birthdays and graduations. My third thought was my journals. I’ve been keeping a journal since I was 12, so I have about 40 journals containing my inner most thoughts, feelings and dreams.
The rest of it, who cares. It’s just stuff that can be replaced. But I did pack a little bag, just in case. I gotta have clean underwear.
Filed under: Living in LA LA Land , , evacuation, fire, orange county
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