| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
 Posted - 05/24/2008 : 8:59:02 PM
|
The fire in our Santa Cruz Mountains is some 20+ miles away from us, the way the crow flies. On the day it started, the winds were up to 50 miles per hour, and noone could predict if they would shift or what...
That first day, Thursday, was very volatile, and I took the day off work, glued to my new HD-TV set, something I would never do in normal life. We have good friends in the fire area. Some were asked to evacuate. Some we have not heard from as they are probably scrambling.
With the winds as unpredictable as they were, I prepared my RV with extra food, water, clothes and cat food, kitty litter, just in case. And yes, some stupid idiot tossed out a lit cigarette down the mountain from our house and caused a 15 acre fire, which, thankfully, our skeleton volunteer fire crew put out lickety-split. But I was ready!
Today, as I drove up to the fire information center in Corralitos, I was shocked by the enormity of it. It is something that I hope never to see again. The mountains were ablaze with flames and smoke columns over a huge area. And yet, those of us who so love to live in the wilderness, must be cognizant of the fact that it can certainly happen here, and the quesion is not "IF" but "WHEN".
My thanks to all of you who phoned to check on us, we are fine. Today, I was so grateful that I had a warm bed to awake from, a clean and functioning kitchen to create breakfast havoc in, and all my animals are alive and well. I even have clean clothes!
Please keep our dear brothers and sisters in the fire area in your prayers. There is a lot of heartbreak there. Many folks have lost everything they have ever worked for, and many have no fire insurance because it was so costly.
Tomorrow I will go back there to try to find my friends. There is a small chance that I may meet some of these friends during the 3:00 PM fire briefing.
But now I want to ask all of you to take a few moments to think about what you would take if your house caught on fire. Do you have all your important papers in one place? Can you put it all in one big box so you can grab it and run? What about your pets? Do you have an escape plan in place for your children? Do you have a place to stash extra clothes, extra medicines, away from your house? Have you made an inventory of your home and posessions, did you take photos of your vintage instruments so you can prove to insurance adjusters that you actually owned those items?
I know I'm re-starting tomorrow on my inventory! Sometimes I wish I had one of those bomb-shelters that were popular in the 60's.
Thank you for all your kind thoughts,
Aloha, Julie
|
|
|
javeiro
Lokahi
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 02:45:48 AM
|
| Wow, Julie, I'll be praying that they get that fire out soon and that your home will be spared. We have some friends that lost their home at a fire at Lake Arrowhead about a year ago. People can be so careless. |
Aloha,
John A. |
 |
|
|
Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 03:33:47 AM
|
Good Grief! Not again? Seems like every year in CA south of SF - and all over other parts of the far west. Is the fire up towards Monte Bello, too?
Somebody is doing something really wrong - like Amurrican humans and their Gov't.
Stay loose, Julie.
...Reid |
|
|
|
wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 06:09:10 AM
|
Fire is a really frightening and devastating experience. It's quite depressing to have to evacuate your home. I can only imagine the feeling of actually having your home destroyed.
We maintain a storage unit in town (off the mountain) to store important papers artwork and instruments other than the couple we regularly play.
Take care Julie & Larry. Hope to see you soon in Maui!
Dusty & Sheila
|
|
|
|
Auntie Maria
Ha`aha`a
USA
1918 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 06:58:12 AM
|
Julie, you and Lawrence were my first thoughts when CNN broadcast news of the Mt. Madonna fire...and it brought back memories of the devastating fire that swept through the Summit Road area about 15-20 years ago.
I've been checking the Santa Cruz Sentinel for updates, several times a day. They've been posting photos submitted by readers:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Stay safe...! |
Auntie Maria
===================
My "Aloha Kaua`i" radio show streams FREE online every Thu & Fri 7-9am (HST)
www.kkcr.org - Kaua`i Community Radio
"Like" Aloha Kauai on Facebook, for playlists and news/info about island music and musicians!
|
|
|
|
cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu
USA
553 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 07:14:13 AM
|
It's been pretty horrible up here. Do we have any other TaroPatchers that live up here?
Julie, CHP let us back up to the property last night. Is there anyone you want me to check on up here? I'm at Summit and Highland.
Let me know here or cell 408 510 9644
Mike |
my Poodle is smarter than your honor student |
|
|
|
islandboo
Lokahi
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 10:55:21 AM
|
| Piff, Julie, everybody - stay safe. I can only imagine how scary it must be there - the pictures are very frightening. My mom's house burned down when she was a small girl and many family heirlooms and photos were lost - Julie's advice about preparing for disaster was spot on. |
|
|
|
Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2008 : 6:54:13 PM
|
Hey Piff!
I don't know if any TaroPatchers live up your way.
Today I did finally connect with one of my friends who lives on Tindall Ranch Road. I was so happy to see him! We went to the Community Informational Meeting at the Church in Corralitos, and we sat very close to each other. It was a comfort just to know he was safe and his house was still standing as of this afternoon. The meeting was very informative, and I've been trying to learn all I can, because I'm in similar topography, and as the Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, I need to be much more proactive in my own neighborhood.
Your house is OK, I hope? Funny what we take for granted, isn't it? Like hot running water, a comfortable couch, family photographs, a refrigerator... My thoughts will be with you as you endure the next two to three days before you can finally move back into your home. Do you need anything? I will call you on your cell phone tomorrow.
I was worried about two other friends, they're on Summit south of the antenna, but they were quoted in the newspaper yesterday, so I know they are OK. Now I can take a deep breath, but today I saw that the fire has jumped the fireline at Summit Road in two places, and is traveling into the Santa Clara County side. Winds have shifted, so now it's a different game.
And Boo, I helped my best high school girlfriend sift the through the ashes of her house. She got out with the nightgown she had on. We found nothing bigger than the size of a hand, except her charcoaled cat, which she mistook for her little footstool. I can still hear her scream and see her face when she picked it up. Yes, I am absolutely paranoid about fire!
I can't wait to see you at camp in June. Hugs,
Julie
|
Edited by - Julie H on 05/25/2008 6:56:15 PM |
|
|
|
Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 07:37:33 AM
|
I know a person named Barry Dobyns who lives on Loma Prieta Avenue. When I heard of the fire starting at Loma Prieta and Summit, I thought his house must have burned, but it turns out that Loma Prieta Avenue becomes Loma Prieta Road and then re-intersects Summit further toward Watsonville (well not quite, but something like that) . His house is not burned yet as the fire area must double in length to reach his place.
However, there is an irony here, because his house in the Oakland Hills burned down in the Great Oakland Hills fire of '91. He collected the insurance and rebuilt at Loma Prieta. He showed me his 200 foot defensible space and the stumps of a lot of trees he had to cut down to make the space (five acre lot). Even so, there was a man on the news who had the 200 foot zone, and a concrete frame to boot, yet it still burned because embers got under the eaves and into the eave vents.
Julie. I remember trees close around you place, you would have to sacrifice a lot to make a 200 foot perimeter!
Hopefully, the fire will be 100% contained today.
|
Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 05/27/2008 07:46:42 AM |
|
|
|
wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
|
|
Peter Medeiros
`Olu`olu
546 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 08:51:49 AM
|
Hang in there but don't take any unnecessary risks. We'll pray for you guys.
PM |
|
|
|
Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 7:11:18 PM
|
Hi Lawrence,
In order for me to have a defensible space of 200 feet, I would have to mow down everything on our property. Trouble is, we live here because we so love the trees and the wildlife. Without the trees, the birds, deer, raccoons, squirrels and chipmunks would not have habitat. (Don't ask about the gophers!) Oh, and my garden is kind of pretty at the moment...
So the question is, how do we deal with this? We did a hard-look tour around the property the other night, after I came back from Corralitos, where I went to search for a friend whose house was in the fire area. The sight of all those fires covering the mountain range was still fresh in my mind.
We decided on denuding a strip around the perimeter, and limb up all the trees inside so we can to avoid the fire ladder problem. Then I am going to pull together my neighborhood, and will put out a pre-fire checklist, so we all know what we must take when we have to evacuate. Then I will hold parties on weekends where everyone will go around helping each other to pull non-native invasive flammable species such as French Broom and other problem plants, after which I will feed everybody and ply them with drink. 
I figure that is the best way to gain cooperation, as we have some neighbors who are careless about their vegetation, especially streetside, where one stupidly tossed cigarette can set thousands of acres on fire. We have a volunteer fire department, and CalFire, which is the state agency dealing with wildfires. So it's not like we're covered by a fire station on the next block.
If anyone is interested in the pre-fire checklist I'm compiling, feel free to contact me through this site, and I will email you what I've got so far. Thanks for all the good thoughts!
Aloha, Julie
Can't wait for George's and Keola's camps but also apprehensive about leaving the house for so long... |
|
|
|
catheglass
Lokahi
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2008 : 7:27:24 PM
|
E Piffle, Julie:
Thoughts and prayers you flowing your way; Piffle, I was so glad you posted and to know that you're ok, even if you can't go home yet. I had a vision of you loading your car with guitars. . . . .
Auntie was worried.
Julie, let those of us nearby know what we might do for you and your friends, anything you or other Taropatchers close by might need, yah?
We in mountainous Calipono know this will be a bad year for fires, not enough rain this spring. Malama pono, e? |
cathe |
|
|
|
wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 05:12:36 AM
|
Well, CAL Fire reports that the Summit fire is 100% contained as of 6am today. that is GOOD NEWS!
|
Dusty |
|
|
|
Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 09:38:15 AM
|
Hi Julie,
Glad you posted because there is little to no coverage of the fires on east coast tv. Hope you Santa Cruz 'patchers stay safe. |
Andy |
|
|
|
cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu
USA
553 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 2:05:10 PM
|
Hey Auntie Cathe. I actually spent Thurs. morning doing exactly that...loading my Jeep with guitars. Jill got Maggie the Poodle and important papers, pictures etc. out about 9am, I hung around and tossed in our 'go packs' (large backpacks with essentials, food, water clothes, typical earthquake kit stuff) and some guitars and hung out. The winds kept the fire moving away until Friday morning about 4am, when they stopped and the thing started burning back towards me. I left Friday morning and the fire started moving away again, so I went up the hill. CHP wouldnt let me in because they'd closed Summit road due to 'looters' . Go figure. Looting not of the burned homes, but of the intact ones abandoned because of the evacuations. Gotta love the human race sometimes. Anyway, CHP wouldn't budge, even though the fire wasn't the issue at that point. Finally, he asked if I had an 'alternate route' up to my place, I assured him I did and left. Got home about 15 mins later. Power was out of course and lots of folks had left. I figured what the hell and loaded my shotgun. Only looter I got was a skunk that came by about 3am. I let him go about his looting of the cat food dish. About 7am, the winds shifted again and the flames were advancing towards the house again, along with choking smoke (nose still burns) so after staunchly defending the abode from renegade skunks, raccoons and deer, I beat it down to Santa Cruz for the next couple of days. Monday the house totally reeks like a campfire, but no damage other than a lot of ash.
On Thursday I did get some additional drama when one of the helicopters couldnt gain enough altitude after dipping his bucket in the lake across Summit road, and the water bucket (bag actually) clipped a redwood tree in my yard and sprayed lots of water. The pilot turned around into the wind, gained some altitude and made another run at the fire.
I had aircraft over the house for 14 hours on Thursday. Around midday, the circuit from dipping in the lake, flying to the fire, dumping and getting back to the lake was taking something like 2 minutes. Too damn close. All that and it was surreal, on Thursday, because of the 50knt winds, I couldn't even see smoke, and the fire was right over the ridge from my house. That's how hard the wind was blowing. Poor pilots had to take off downwind after filling up with water to get to the fire. Some exciting moments with water bombers going over 100 feet over my house.
Lots of drama but everyone is safe. Lots of folks lost everything, so I'm certainly not complaining.
Jill says Aloha. When you coming down eh?
Cheers
Mike |
my Poodle is smarter than your honor student |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
