Posted 10-17-2017
From Sacramento, CA we were deployed to Santa Rosa, CA, where the fires have destroyed many homes and has taken many lives in the area. The fires do not discriminate, they burn homeless abodes all the way to the multi-million dollar houses. It’s either destroyed to the ground, or not touched. So weird. One of the most touching photos was that of the tricycle.
Houses with cars parked in the driveway or garage were common. We even saw one house that had a moving van that burned up with the house as they were trying to load out before the fire hit, but didn’t make it.
The nights of October 14-16 we stayed at a community center in Santa Rosa, much like any community hall. 120 of us volunteers slept in the same room, with lights out at 10:00 pm, and wake-up at 5:00 am, as a way to make some sort of order. Days are long, but rewarding.
Today (17th) we were moved to Petalina, CA as the fires have moved here. We are now staying at the Coast Guard Training Facility here. We are running routes to the burned areas, and taking food to the various shelters in the area, and on an individual bases to those who remained in the area. Many areas are closed to the owners, until it is safe to return, only to find nothing but ashes.
We are supposed to get a day a week off, but I have not seen that yet. Hopefully this weekend I can get a day to drive to the beach (about 30 miles to the west) and put my toes in the water. I got a shower tonight at the training facility, has not had one for 4 days.
Scheduled at this point to return to Nebraska on October 28th, but that can change in an instant, so we will see.
Signing off for tonight, more as I can.
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