Happy Halloween!



May your costumes be awesome, and your candy bags free of raisins.

Terrible Beauty

I don't know the person who took this photo, but I find it strangely gorgeous now that it is no longer threatening my house. :)

This is the Pendleton Fire from the vantage point of Dana Point Harbor.

Overall - Good News

My aunt and uncle are safely back in their home...with the fires around our houses coming under control. The Horno fire (keep all inappropriate comments to yourselves) is not looming, but it's close enough for discomfort.

But overall, things are going well. We are hearing positives from all fronts:

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Kim, heard from my L.A. friends, and all is well with them. phew!East coast is thinking about y'all too!

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Just wanted to let you know the good news – my aunt’s house in Running Springs is safe! She works for the CHP, so she’s been getting regular updates about the area, and she heard last night that her house was in tact (and she also heard that they were able to save her and my mom’s childhood camp – Camp Cedar Crest). So she got an escort and was able to get up the hill to get some clothes and things. She said it was very scary, and very eerie up there – pitch black with no noise except for the crackling of fire. She can still see fire from her house, but it’s (for now) moving in the other direction.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

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MiraCostans (and the surrounding community), you have certainly outdone yourselves! You would not believe the amount of clothing, food, toys, sock, underwear and other items that have been donated to the shelter in our gym. The volunteers report that there is nothing that is needed for today. In fact, it looks like they will leave later this week with two or three times the amount of food and supplies that they arrived with on Monday! I am told that extra clothing will likely be given to the Salvation Army and extra food to one of the food banks in the area. So it will absolutely go to people in need for months to come!

There were about 63 evacuees (and lots of animals) on campus last night. Most came from the Fallbrook area and are eagerly awaiting the OK to return to their homes. Everyone at the shelter has asked me to pass along their sincere thanks and appreciation for MiraCosta being such gracious hosts in this time of need.
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So overall, things are looking up. :)

A Great Site for Maps and Things Fire-Related


www.calfires.com

I have added new photos from our campus evacuation shelter and around the area. More to come as they become available

Wednesday Noon Update

Smoke rolling in on Monday.

I just had a surreal moment this morning when I received an e-mail from "Hilltop Rescue" - the group I worked with in New Orleans - saying they were mobilizing to head to San Diego and would be looking for people to come help. Never did I think that *we* would be the ones in need of rescue.

Overnight, two more fires were started on Camp Pendleton. One was an intentional back-fire, the other was started by embers from the back-fire. Both are right near the border checkpoint on the 5 freeway.

As of 11:00 this morning, the 5 freeway is closed, so I have not been able to get home or to school...but none of the fires are any closer to my house....I don't think. Everyone is doing their best to share news, but fast news usually means innacurate news.

What I know for now:

The rescue shelter at the OC Fairgrounds is full, and people are being diverted to the Victorville Fairgrounds. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with our area, Victorville is a town that's almost half-way to Las Vegas..probably 2 and 1/2 hours away.

Our rescue shelter at MiraCosta, after being told that there would only be a handful of residents and that things were well taken care of, 100 people showed up overnight. While they have supplies for those there right now, it could baloon really quickly....particularly since the main freeway out of town is currently closed.

I have one friend in LA who has confirmed that her home was lost. My family in Fallbrook is still under an evacuation order and are staying at their business in Lake Elsinore. Kristin's brother's family has evacuated their kids and dogs to their sister's family. No word on Carol's Aunt's Cabin in Running Springs, but she said last night that things did not look good.

The smoke is awful....falling in big black flakes. People are told to wear masks and stay inside with the doors and windows closed. It's tough to do when there's no AC but the temps are in the 90's. I took this photo from my driveway yesterday at 4pm....that's the sun, not the moon in the photo.

So for now, we wait. Cats are still traumatized, and Dad and I are watching Melissa Etheridge on the Tyra Banks show. Pray for us all. :)

More later.

K

College Closed Until Monday

I just left the Incident Command Center at the college, and the decision has been made to close the school until at least Sunday, and at that time an assessment will be made as to whether or not we can re-open on Monday. Of course, all concerts, sports events and other performances are cancelled as well.

I can't say enough how organized and well prepared this team is. I technically am not a member of the disaster team, but sat in on the meeting in case I was needed. The meeting included the primary college leadership, campus police, facilities, IT, and the leadership from our other campuses on a conference call. Multiple contingencies have been worked out, and we are well prepared.

The evacuation shelter is blessed with few people in need, but many trying to help. All of us keep asking if there's a need for a run to Costco, or if they are missing anything. Right now they have more than enough supplies, but will keep folks posted if something comes up.

I'm on call the rest of the week, and have my cell on at my side. For anyone trying to get in touch with me, please don't call my cell phone. The mobile phone system is massively overloaded and that's the primary communication tool for the emergecy folks in the shelters and at the fire lines. Send me an e-mail, or call my parents' house....which is where I will be heading for at least a day or two.

My area is still under voluntary evacuation, with no real immediate threat. But I am surrounded by hundreds of acres of dry hills that could take a spark at any moment, so I have no need to stay here unnecesarily. As soon as the all clear goes out, I'll come home as soon as possible.....a fact that my cats, thoroughly traumatized by being surrounded by strangers and strange pets, are counting on. :)

More as I know more.

K

MiraCosta College/Evacuation Shelter

MiraCosta College was opened up as a relief station last night at midnight. All other shelters in the area, including Qualcomm Stadium are filled to capacity. Right now we only have a handful of people housed in our gym, but that could balloon quickly if the winds shift. Right now everyone is preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.

I just left our gymnasium, where 50 cots, pillows and blankets have been set up. Normally the shelter would be organized and run by the local Red Cross, but there are no more resources/staff to cover additional shelters. The Church of Scientology has stepped in to volunteer, and appear to have things well in hand. While we don't have many evacuees, we do have fire and policemen coming in for water and a chance to get out of the filthy air.

We have all been told not to come to campus, but with not much else to do, it's tough to sit at home and watch this all unfold on TV. Everyone is doing everything they can to volunteer. Our cafeteria is on standby to prepare as many meals as necessary, our faculty with certain specialties such as nursing are on call to assist those in need. Even our interim president is living in his office on an inflatable mattress.

The sky is orange, and the ash is beginning to accumulate on the ground and drift like snow. Walking and driving in it makes trails. It's tough to get around without a breather mask....and I was glad I didn't toss the unused ones from Katrina. I'm quite sure that I will use them up.

No word on the fires themselves. I was able to get back to my house this morning to check on things with no problem. My hope is that everyone who needs to evacuate has all ready done so, and that it's simply a matter of waiting for the smoke to clear.

We have a meeting at 2pm today to decide whether or not to close the campus tomorrow, and most likely the rest of the week.

More later

K

Correction

The Rice Fire, not the Witch Fire is what's closest to us.

K

Evacuated - But Safe and Sound

About 4pm this afternoon, my Aunt and Uncle were under a mandatory evacuation order out of their home in Fallbrook. The Witch Fire is the one that's closest to our homes. They loaded up my cousins, their 2 dogs, a cat and a rabbit named Cheerio and headed to my folk's house.

Two hours later, there was an announcement from Camp Pendleton that certain military barracks were under instructions to pack and be ready to go if necessary. The housing areas they named were less than 300 yards from my house, and my neighbors and I made the decision to head out. I am 99% sure that my house will be fine, but I didn't want to run the risk of getting the call to leave at 3am...where I would have to load the cats up by flashlight (power is spotty in some areas) and wake everyone up to let them know I'm coming.

My Aunt and Uncle made the decision to go out to their business in Lake Elsinore, so I actually am at my folks' house right now. All schools and colleges were closed in SD county today, and will be tomorrow as well. I am not sure what the rest of the week is going to look like. Two of our three campuses are in little/no danger. A third one is in the path of one of the fires, so all we can do is wait.

But all in our family are safe and sound, and counting our blessings. :) I'll keep you posted as best I can.

K