O.T. - Wildfire near Patti/Shawna

[Tori M]

A wildfire has just broken out at the town where Patti and Shawna live in Oregon.  I sent a PM to check on them but have not heard back.  Interstate is closed and homes are threatened, so I'm worried.  If anyone hears from them, please post their status.  The last 24 hours has brought a firestorm in many areas here with lots of homes lost and lives threatened.

 

Tori

[VickySGV]

I do hope they and their belongings are safe and that we hear from them. 

 

We have several fires burning in my area as well, and while not in danger from the flames, the smoke is very thick here and we are having a condition where the brush is not being completely burned and still has chemicals on it that affect people with allergies to those plants, so there is a new incentive for mask wearing in our areas, and even if hot, long sleeves and and slacks will help keep you safe from the ash.  I have major roads in my area closed and many people on alert for evacuations.  It is a mess.

[Tori M]

We were doing "fair" with fire season in my area until yesterday when, suddenly, high winds came downslope across the Cascades (like Santa Annas) and blew down trees onto powerlines and now it's like a major storm hit here.  County is in state of emergency, 100 homes burned, thousands of evacuees, lots of roads closed, power outages (some intentional to prevent more fires).  It's really bad, as bad as I've seen it in my 9 years here.  The only problem I'm having at my place so far is, like you said, the smoke is horrible.  Thick, burning, coughing, acrid smoke.  We're holed up indoors.  At Patti's town (about 100 miles from me) a grass fire broke out this afternoon at the edge of the small town and spread quickly in the high winds.  The news report said several hundred homes were in danger; there's probably only 1000-1500 homes in the whole town, thus my worry.

[Ivy]

Yikes.      Hope y’all come through this okay. 

[Abi]

    I hope everyone in the fire zones, remains safe. It is bad enough to have these events that occur so harshly across the land but, the covid crisis and cutting of vital spending from emergency management have certainly not helped. My thoughts are with you all. 

[VickySGV]

This was last night from my front yard.  The flames are 3,500 feet above me and behind a mountain 6 miles away.

[Tori M]

Too close for me, Vickie!  Our McKenzie river fire started last night at 8 and has now raced 19 miles westward... 20 hours, 35,000 acres burned.  Incredible!  We easteners aren't used to this stuff.  Shawna must be freaking.  Still haven't heard back from Patti. 

[VickySGV]

@Tori M You are a good friend of theirs, I hope they get to you soon.

 

[KymmieL]

I just sent a text to Patti hope she gets back to me. I will post any news.

 

Kymmie

[Tori M]

19 minutes ago, KymmieL said:

I just sent a text to Patti hope she gets back to me. I will post any news.

 

Kymmie

Thanks Kymmie!  I was hoping you might be able to do that.

 

I just checked local news... fire is now 1500 acres and I-5 closed for 20 miles.  These fires spread so fast it's hard to get any more detail than that.

[Patti Anne]

Shawna and I are still alive, much to the chagrin of my ex-wife.

 

This has been quite an experience. We were in a level 3 evacuation zone the other night. We went and looked at the fire from a distance of about 3 miles, and sure enough, it appeared to be coming our way. A 30 - 40 ft wall of flames. See pic below.

 

 

We were in a Level 3 zone (Don't pass, Go. IMMEDIATELY!)

 

The kitties were NOT present and accounted for, and I wasn't about to abandon Sylvester. He wouldn't abandon me. (Unless someone lured him with a fresh can of wet food). 

 

The news dissemination here in the valley, I'm sad to say, is an embarrassment. We didn't know we were in a level 3 (leave NOW) zone until we found a source on the internet. By then, the fire had burnt past us. Thankfully, we didn't have any other fires pop up. We lost cell and internet service for a while, but were otherwise OK. Not everyone was so lucky. This was a catastrophic event here. the devastation really puts the fear of God into you. Many areas in the valley resemble Hiroshima after the bomb. See pic.

 

Now the fire is still raging on the north end of the valley, people are continuing to lose homes, businesses and livelihoods. It's pretty sad. Everyone knows someone who lost their home or worse.

 

We'll see how things go in the next few weeks, but it.s been crazy so far

 

 

[Tori M]

It's so good to hear from you, Patti.  Was hoping you were only cutoff; nothing worse.  Glad you still have a home, unlike so many.  Welcome to Oregon, Shawna!  What a way to be introduced to the dangers of the west, huh?  It's not usually this bad; don't abandon ship yet.  Keep us posted and if you need anything you have friends here.

 

Tori

[KymmieL]

Thank god, you two are safe, Patti. I don't know what I would do if I lost my sisters.

 

Kymmie

[Abi]

The pictures of the destruction are just horrible. I'm really glad you are ok, Patti and Shawna but, sad to see such a terrible event for so many people. Life is more important than things but, I can only imagine how hard things must be after losing everything. It is sad that these events are almost always due to careless human ideals. I just read an article saying one fire that started was a gender reveal party gone very wrong.Over 7000 acres of destruction. It already was a bad idea in the first place in my opinion but until today I had no idea how many environmental issues had been caused by them. Stay safe every one.

[Patti Anne]

Welcome to another posting from Hell.

 

Just when we thought it was over. Last night we got this warning from the alert system on my phone.

Then. on getting up this mornng, this was in the news:

 

 

When it rains it pours,

[Ivy]

Scary 

[Tori M]

More than loss of things and less than loss of life, the biggest toll now is becoming the emotional/psychological toll.  Everyone I talk to is stressed to the max and on pins and needles dreading where the next fire will erupt.  As an easterner all my life, I got used to hearing about fires in the west.  While the size of them amazed me, I took it as normal.  But what's happened in the past weeks is not the norm.  These aren't just fires, they are firestorms!  On Tuesday last week, a new fire was erupting in Oregon every hour, driven by 25-50 mph winds.  One fire here exploded from spark to 10,000 acres in just 4 hours!  In 10 hours it was 60,000 acres and racing toward the valley's towns at 20mph.  Usually the fires here stay in the mostly uninhabited mountains.  People sprang from their beds and ran into rivers in the middle of the night to survive.

 

Living here now for 9 years, I've gotten used to the frequency and scope of the big fires, but this has been scary on a whole different level.  In a firestorm, a spark can occur anywhere... a safety chain on a camper hitting the pavement can burn down a town in 2 hours.  Every time I look out the window at the smoke, my brain panics and I have to remind myself that the fires are still 20 miles away.  An hour later I look outside and it repeats, over and over.  We are spending our days worrying, watching for fire and planning our escape routes (most of which are cut off).  Many people are going to have PTSD for years after this past week.  The best way I can relate it back to my eastern friends is that if this was a hurricane, this is Katrina!  This is not the norm.  Washington needs to understand this and we need extra support and understanding from the rest of the nation.

 

To the zealots, this is not "what we deserve" for Portland protests or environmentalism or any other aspect of our lifestyle (yes, I've heard that).  This is evidenced I think by what has happened at the shelter sites and donation centers.... the outpouring of compassion by the people here have caused donation centers to ask people to stop bringing any more supplies; they are overwhelmed by the generosity of these wonderful people.  Grocery store shelves are empty because people spent their savings buying food and clothes for the evacuees.  Hundreds of ranchers and businesses have donated land, barns, trucks and trailers to evacuate and shelter livestock.  They risk their lives to drive into the fires to rescue the livelihoods of those in danger.  The heroism brings tears to my eyes.  These are the things you don't hear about on the 30-second-blip national news.  If you want to know what's REALLY going on here, tune into local news sources in Eugene, Medford, San Francisco.

 

Personally, I've been "inconvenienced".  Hard to shop for groceries, trapped indoors for a week by choking smoke, no strenuous activities/exercise (even indoors) to keep from breathing too much pollution, hesitant to take a shower or wash dishes/clothes because if power goes out we need our well's reserve water tank to last a few days, smelling like I've been standing in a campfire for a week and will probably have to wash all our clothes, curtains and bedding when this is all over.  These are the "little things" you don't hear about unless you're living through it.  Still, I feel very very fortunate!  Our friends Patti and Shawna could have lost their lives last week.  We are a small community here at T.P., which shows just how big of a disaster this is.  Please think of us, pray for us, dance for rain, and tell your friends and politicians, this is not "just another fire season in the west".  And, thanks for listening to my outpouring of emotion.  ?

[VickySGV]

Good to know about the safety angle up there.  I posted a picture of the one near me here two nights ago.  I was far away from the danger but looked horrible and was for the people near it.  https://www.transgenderpulse.com/forums/topic/81442-one-of-the-fires-in-so-calif/?tab=comments#comment-736983

[KymmieL]

On 9/12/2020 at 12:56 PM, Patti Anne said:

The kitties were NOT present and accounted for, and I wasn't about to abandon Sylvester. He wouldn't abandon me. (Unless someone lured him with a fresh can of wet food)

 

So, when I visit to get in Sylvester's good graces I just need to bring food. What about you and Shawna what would I need to bring?

 

Kymmie

[Patti Anne]

Hmmmmmm.... I'll have to give that one some thought

[Jackie C.]

14 hours ago, KymmieL said:

What about you and Shawna what would I need to bring?

 

I'm guessing still food, but not something that comes in a can. 

 

Hugs!

[VickySGV]

2 hours ago, Jackie C. said:

I'm guessing still food, but not something that comes in a can. 

 

As long as it is not smoked anything either.  

[KymmieL]

I am thinking something chocolate with chocolate and chocolate covered chocolate. I think that would work.

 

Kymmie

[Tori M]

@VickySGV, @KymmieL, LOLOL!!!

 

We got RAIN!  RAIN RAIN, glorious RAIN!  Air smells/tastes delicious and we can finally relax a little here in our area of OR.  Whew... made it!  Here's hoping for the rest of you "right coasters" still in the fire and smoke.

[Ivy]

Sounds great