What Happens When A Wildfire Destroys Your Home.
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Date: 2019-11-01
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Comments and reviews: 9
Lizzy True
As someone who lived near Santa Rosa, my town was full of shelters during the Fires in 2017. I volunteered for most of the week during the fires because school was canceled. There were hundreds of people who had there cars filled with belongings but thats all they had. Most of them didn't even know if there houses had been burned down or not. To see all of those people impacted from the fires really changed the way I think about the world because everything is so easily destroyed. I remember one night parts of my town were sent evacuation orders because the winds were increasing and the fires were just on the other side of the mountain. Going through all of your family photos and trying to sort out cages for your animals was the worst feeling in the world. The fact some people had minutes or not even any time to evacuate, Is unimaginable I couldn't even begin to comprehaned how that feels. I really enjoyed this video Phil Please make more like it, we all could use more empathy.
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As someone who lived near Santa Rosa, my town was full of shelters during the Fires in 2017. I volunteered for most of the week during the fires because school was canceled. There were hundreds of people who had there cars filled with belongings but thats all they had. Most of them didn't even know if there houses had been burned down or not. To see all of those people impacted from the fires really changed the way I think about the world because everything is so easily destroyed. I remember one night parts of my town were sent evacuation orders because the winds were increasing and the fires were just on the other side of the mountain. Going through all of your family photos and trying to sort out cages for your animals was the worst feeling in the world. The fact some people had minutes or not even any time to evacuate, Is unimaginable I couldn't even begin to comprehaned how that feels. I really enjoyed this video Phil Please make more like it, we all could use more empathy.
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LJ H
I just cried for all of them. I lost everything in a fire, a number of years ago. It isn't just possessions, my little cat was lost in the fire. Wedding pictures, momentos that you keep from people that are dear to your heart, the memories of the home, are all gone. You feel lost, with no anchor, to keep you grounded. The sounds, the smells, of fire, stay vivid in your senses, always. Sirens haunt you, every time you hear them. All you can do, is go back, and salvage, any little thing that you can, bury the remains, and very slowly, leave it behind. The kindness of strangers, co-workers does help, but it is the ones who take advantage of your loss, that wedge a knife, right into your heart. My heart goes out to all of the people who lost loved ones, pets, and their homes. Lean on each other, and please make sure that you have some type of advocate, that can make sure, that your best interests are looked after. Keep strong, it is is not an easy road back, but you can get there.
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I just cried for all of them. I lost everything in a fire, a number of years ago. It isn't just possessions, my little cat was lost in the fire. Wedding pictures, momentos that you keep from people that are dear to your heart, the memories of the home, are all gone. You feel lost, with no anchor, to keep you grounded. The sounds, the smells, of fire, stay vivid in your senses, always. Sirens haunt you, every time you hear them. All you can do, is go back, and salvage, any little thing that you can, bury the remains, and very slowly, leave it behind. The kindness of strangers, co-workers does help, but it is the ones who take advantage of your loss, that wedge a knife, right into your heart. My heart goes out to all of the people who lost loved ones, pets, and their homes. Lean on each other, and please make sure that you have some type of advocate, that can make sure, that your best interests are looked after. Keep strong, it is is not an easy road back, but you can get there.
reply
xMusicx
Seen many fires on tv and it was almost like a film, felt pretty detached, you sort of dont know how scary it really is. A couple months back a condo 2 units down caught fire and it changed my understanding for life. The crackling of the burning house is loud, then there is the smell of all sort of things, and if there is wind the hot embers fly through the air. Add to that chocking smoke while you are trying to pour water on your and neighbors roof and putting out the embers all around the lawn and it's an extremely heightened nerve and sense situation. Then every couple minutes you see the fire as more and more imposing as it grows, first making a glow as the inside is consumed and then shooting through the roof. Really it's also just sad seeing someones belongings and memories burn and at the same time imagining yours are next. Fortunately the firefighters got there fast and did not let the fire spread much beyond that unit.
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Seen many fires on tv and it was almost like a film, felt pretty detached, you sort of dont know how scary it really is. A couple months back a condo 2 units down caught fire and it changed my understanding for life. The crackling of the burning house is loud, then there is the smell of all sort of things, and if there is wind the hot embers fly through the air. Add to that chocking smoke while you are trying to pour water on your and neighbors roof and putting out the embers all around the lawn and it's an extremely heightened nerve and sense situation. Then every couple minutes you see the fire as more and more imposing as it grows, first making a glow as the inside is consumed and then shooting through the roof. Really it's also just sad seeing someones belongings and memories burn and at the same time imagining yours are next. Fortunately the firefighters got there fast and did not let the fire spread much beyond that unit.
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Jamie Heinrich
Food for thought for those individuals saying the Camp Fire should have been covered rather than the Woolsey Fire: The intent behind this video (as I perceived it to be) was to share a glimpse of the experience of losing a home and community to such an all-consuming natural disaster as the California fires have proven to be. Yes, the Woolsey Fire was mentioned in this particular instance as that was Iris's home. But that does not change the emotional impact and trauma that have resulted. I am so saddened and my most sincere sympathies go out to those affected by any of the fires- large or small. At the end of the day, there have been victims from every fire and they each deserve equal love and acknowledgement. I believe in this instance the focus is being drawn back to bare personhood. Thank you, Phil, for giving us a glimpse into the lives of those affected. They will be in my thoughts for months to come.
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Food for thought for those individuals saying the Camp Fire should have been covered rather than the Woolsey Fire: The intent behind this video (as I perceived it to be) was to share a glimpse of the experience of losing a home and community to such an all-consuming natural disaster as the California fires have proven to be. Yes, the Woolsey Fire was mentioned in this particular instance as that was Iris's home. But that does not change the emotional impact and trauma that have resulted. I am so saddened and my most sincere sympathies go out to those affected by any of the fires- large or small. At the end of the day, there have been victims from every fire and they each deserve equal love and acknowledgement. I believe in this instance the focus is being drawn back to bare personhood. Thank you, Phil, for giving us a glimpse into the lives of those affected. They will be in my thoughts for months to come.
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Bloop a Doop
I live in Napa Valley and we couldn't go to work or anything, there was a day we tried but many got sick and were coughing and sneezing ash within an hour so we had to all go home, we were VERY close and on edge ready for evacuation, but then the fire changed direction and missed MY home. While I feel blessed about that, I do hurt for everyone, my friends and family and everyone else around, who lost everything to these fires and it's still not over. Honestly, thank you to everyone whos donating and everyone with thoughts and prayers and thank you Philip for posting this and raising awareness of this chaos in a really respectable way. I hope everyone else affected by this is doing okay. :(I'll add my comment goes back to the fires that have been running around this whole year and keeping us Californians on edge through it all, in case anyone were to wonder)
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I live in Napa Valley and we couldn't go to work or anything, there was a day we tried but many got sick and were coughing and sneezing ash within an hour so we had to all go home, we were VERY close and on edge ready for evacuation, but then the fire changed direction and missed MY home. While I feel blessed about that, I do hurt for everyone, my friends and family and everyone else around, who lost everything to these fires and it's still not over. Honestly, thank you to everyone whos donating and everyone with thoughts and prayers and thank you Philip for posting this and raising awareness of this chaos in a really respectable way. I hope everyone else affected by this is doing okay. :(I'll add my comment goes back to the fires that have been running around this whole year and keeping us Californians on edge through it all, in case anyone were to wonder)
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mihai7192
Folks, ppl have lost family memories to fire since time has started for man. We live in a computer age now. It is important to save family histories/photos and such onto digital devices that are easier to take in an evacuation than trying to run around the house grabbing pictures or more important things before the fire hits. Maybe you cannot afford or don't know how to use these things. Many of us have friends that would scan these pics onto drives or whatnot. Yes, fires are unexpected and often happen fast. Sometimes you may not have time to get all the things you want out of your house. But, for your past to be passed on to your kids, or simply to rebuild your own memories when you do get a new living space, having all your pictures on a small device can help a lot
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Folks, ppl have lost family memories to fire since time has started for man. We live in a computer age now. It is important to save family histories/photos and such onto digital devices that are easier to take in an evacuation than trying to run around the house grabbing pictures or more important things before the fire hits. Maybe you cannot afford or don't know how to use these things. Many of us have friends that would scan these pics onto drives or whatnot. Yes, fires are unexpected and often happen fast. Sometimes you may not have time to get all the things you want out of your house. But, for your past to be passed on to your kids, or simply to rebuild your own memories when you do get a new living space, having all your pictures on a small device can help a lot
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Sarah Gonsalves
I live in Santa Rosa. Half of my city was burned, and I was extremely lucky that my house wasn't. The fear and anxiety I had for the several days of the fire is indescribable. I barely went to work because I couldn't stand the idea of not being home and able to get my pets out of my house if it came to that. But one thing that is never talked about is that since half of the city was destroyed, the amount of people without a house and houses were not equal. Since demand was so high, over a few months the rent went up so high everywhere, it created even more people without a place to live, and my dad is one of them. He's been working since he was 15, and now at age 60 he's living in his truck. Many people whose houses weren't burned, still lost them.
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I live in Santa Rosa. Half of my city was burned, and I was extremely lucky that my house wasn't. The fear and anxiety I had for the several days of the fire is indescribable. I barely went to work because I couldn't stand the idea of not being home and able to get my pets out of my house if it came to that. But one thing that is never talked about is that since half of the city was destroyed, the amount of people without a house and houses were not equal. Since demand was so high, over a few months the rent went up so high everywhere, it created even more people without a place to live, and my dad is one of them. He's been working since he was 15, and now at age 60 he's living in his truck. Many people whose houses weren't burned, still lost them.
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Ash Boydston
I was in the Ute Park Fire this summer, watching this made all of those feelings of loss fresh again. Shes right, its not something you can understand until youre evacuating from a place you love while watching it go up in smoke in your rear view mirror. The first night of the fire we could see the glow and the movement of the flames on the other side of the ridge. Its something that is incredibly sad, but doesnt feel real until you have experienced it. I didnt lose any material possessions, but the community I am apart of lost a place that means everything to us. I want to hug all the survivors, I know that pain, and sometimes sharing that pain with someone who can understand is what is needed.
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I was in the Ute Park Fire this summer, watching this made all of those feelings of loss fresh again. Shes right, its not something you can understand until youre evacuating from a place you love while watching it go up in smoke in your rear view mirror. The first night of the fire we could see the glow and the movement of the flames on the other side of the ridge. Its something that is incredibly sad, but doesnt feel real until you have experienced it. I didnt lose any material possessions, but the community I am apart of lost a place that means everything to us. I want to hug all the survivors, I know that pain, and sometimes sharing that pain with someone who can understand is what is needed.
reply
Rachael Clarke
I try to keep my distance from these kinds of events because I know all too well what these people are going through. I was 12 years old when Katrina ripped through my home town and left nothing, but broken lives behind. The scars are atill visible 13 years later on the landscape and in every savivor I know. I have nothing from my childhood before 12 years old and still don't hold onto things with sentimental value for fear of losing everything that means anything to me anyway. I'm sad to say I know exactly what some of these people are going through and I just hope that they're able to get the same lessons of kindness, humility, and community that I learned after Katrina.
reply
I try to keep my distance from these kinds of events because I know all too well what these people are going through. I was 12 years old when Katrina ripped through my home town and left nothing, but broken lives behind. The scars are atill visible 13 years later on the landscape and in every savivor I know. I have nothing from my childhood before 12 years old and still don't hold onto things with sentimental value for fear of losing everything that means anything to me anyway. I'm sad to say I know exactly what some of these people are going through and I just hope that they're able to get the same lessons of kindness, humility, and community that I learned after Katrina.
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