southern california in my prayers..........

[crystalsmom]

I haven't heard from Gina (mustangbee) yet? They have evacuated well over a half million from San Diego alone so I assume she and others are out of reach of the fire. We are praying.

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by crystalsmom

I haven't heard from Gina (mustangbee) yet? They have evacuated well over a half million from San Diego alone so I assume she and others are out of reach of the fire. We are praying.

I just found this thread.There is also another YT member that I have been watching for- Payton. She posted yesterday afternoon that she had been evacuated, and I have seen nothing from her since.
I keep thinking of the sheer horror all those people are going through, from the evacuees, to those exhausted fire fighters.
Thank goodness today, the winds have died down. When I go outside, everything is covered in white ash. I live on a hill top, and in previous years the dry brush close by has caught fire. During the past few days, I keep standing at the edge of my garden, scanning the hills around me.

I cannot believe the enormity of the disaster here in CA, the hundreds of thousands of people that have been evacuated, the hundreds of homes and businesses that have been utterly leveled to the ground.
Hugs and prayers to all of you that are or have been near the fires,
Lauren

[crystalsmom]

Originally Posted by laurenr

I just found this thread.There is also another YT member that I have been watching for- Payton. She posted yesterday afternoon that she had been evacuated, and I have seen nothing from her since.
I keep thinking of the sheer horror all those people are going through, from the evacuees, to those exhausted fire fighters.
Thank goodness today, the winds have died down. When I go outside, everything is covered in white ash. I live on a hill top, and in previous years the dry brush close by has caught fire. During the past few days, I keep standing at the edge of my garden, scanning the hills around me.

I cannot believe the enormity of the disaster here in CA, the hundreds of thousands of people that have been evacuated, the hundreds of homes and businesses that have been utterly leveled to the ground.
Hugs and prayers to all of you that are or have been near the fires,
Lauren

Lauren, I did not notice you lived in this area. I am so glad to know you are safe but it must be overwhelming to look out at once was such beauty before to what you are looking at now. California people seem to be so strong and they will rebuild but nature will take some time. I worry about Payton and family too but really worry less once I know they have evacuated rather than trying to stick it out. I just saw some horses stuck between the fires coming at both sides of them. This is all so sad but so happy you and your family are alright.

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by crystalsmom

Lauren, I did not notice you lived in this area. I am so glad to know you are safe but it must be overwhelming to look out at once was such beauty before to what you are looking at now. California people seem to be so strong and they will rebuild but nature will take some time. I worry about Payton and family too but really worry less once I know they have evacuated rather than trying to stick it out. I just saw some horses stuck between the fires coming at both sides of them. This is all so sad but so happy you and your family are alright.

Joan, thankfully I am quite some distance from the nearest fire in Santiago Canyon.I am in that area so often, and cannot imagine what those once beautiful hills must look like right now. I am originally from South Africa, where houses are built out of solid brick, so you never saw a conflagration such as you see here. The hills around me have so much dry brush, and some years the fires have come so close, I can see the actual flames....very scary. But this season my neighborhood has remained untouched, thank God. I just feel so heartbroken for all those poor souls that have not been so fortunate.
It's funny, but when I watch the news, I feel almost worse for the poor terrified creatures, like the horses you describe, than the people. The animals are just so defenseless.
Lauren

[saphire]

Hey Lauren, hope you guys are all ok. I too feel very sorry for the people, but am heartbroken for all the animals that cannot get out of the way of the fires.

This may sound dumb, but does it rain there this time of the year? If so I'll be praying for LOTS of rain to help put out the fires. Take care and look after your family in these chaotic times. They are showing snippets of the fires on dear old TV3 - it looks very scary.

PRAYING FOR ALL WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THE FIRES.

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by saphire

Hey Lauren, hope you guys are all ok. I too feel very sorry for the people, but am heartbroken for all the animals that cannot get out of the way of the fires.

This may sound dumb, but does it rain there this time of the year? If so I'll be praying for LOTS of rain to help put out the fires. Take care and look after your family in these chaotic times. They are showing snippets of the fires on dear old TV3 - it looks very scary.

PRAYING FOR ALL WHO ARE AFFECTED BY THE FIRES.

Hey Sheilagh!
The problem here, is that we hardly had any rain last winter, which is the traditional rainy season, so the hills are all bone dry, and this provides lots of fuel for the fires. We did have a small amount of rain a couple of weeks ago, but the ground now is baked dry due to the unusually high temperatures we are experiencing this week. The figures now are just horrific - almost 1 million people evacuated yesterday, so many, many homes burnt to the ground. Thank goodness the winds have died down today, so most of these fires are starting to get under control, but I am sure it will take a few more days before they are all out for good. It's heartbreaking to watch TV, so many people lost absolutely everything and have nowhere to go. Many of them are in temporary shelters, but they will all have to relocate soon, God only knows where.

They say that a total of 600 sqare miles were burning. Can you imagine this? It would be like the entire area between JHB and Durban went up in flames. It just boggles the mind, the enormity of this disaster.

Hugs to you way down South,
Lauren

[crystalsmom]

Still no word from Gina or Payton. I think the winds are letting up some so that will help. Last night they said some fires will burn until November and I can't imagine the heartache with about 1800 homes gone and also the acreage that is down to soil covered with ash. When I look at that ash, all I can think of is the lungs of those poor brave firemen.

[mustangbee]

I just found this thread, Thank You All for the Prayers.

I was looking for Payton, Has anyone heard anything yet. The fires are calming down, but they are still very strong and taking more homes each day.

Some people have been able to go to the sites to see whats left. It's so sad, you really have no idea until you see it with your own eyes. They say the fires will be out by the first week in Nov.

May God Bless You All.

[laurenr]

Originally Posted by mustangbee

I just found this thread, Thank You All for the Prayers.

I was looking for Payton, Has anyone heard anything yet. The fires are calming down, but they are still very strong and taking more homes each day.

Some people have been able to go to the sites to see whats left. It's so sad, you really have no idea until you see it with your own eyes. They say the fires will be out by the first week in Nov.

May God Bless You All.

Oh Gina! You poor thing, I cannot imagine what you have been through these past few days! Glad to see that you are safe and sound. Nobody has heard from Payton since her original evacuation post. I sure hope she's okay, please let us know if you hear from her.Welcome home Hon!
Lauren