Oregon Fire--The State Is Burning

Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 

The state of Oregon is on fire. Firefighters are trying to contain four major fires as well as a number of smaller fires. We have had dry, hot weather coupled with high winds. 

Over one million of acres have burned. Whole towns are destroyed. It took the governor three days to request assistance from the National guard. It took her four days to reach out to the President to request federal aid. I appreciate that the President spoke to her directly since it wasn't that many days ago that she publicly lambasted him sending federal officers to protect federal property during BLM protests. He told her that he would support federal aid packages to our area. 

News sources have reported air quality for the city of Portland is the worst in the world for cities of its size. Air quality where I live is worse than in Portland. During the day, it is dark like it is evening! 40,000 people have been evacuated; 500,000 people are on alert to evacuate. We are one of the 500,000.

View towards the fire at noon on September 10

It isn't known how all the fires started. Arson is suspected in some of them. Lightening started at least one fire. Firefighters are spending their time trying to save homes and ensure that people who were supposed to evacuate did. There are not enough firefighters to adequately cover all the fires. 

A couple who were friends with my husband's family when he was a boy lost everything. They lived in Phoenix, Oregon which was one of the towns that was completely destroyed. 

He drove his wife to her hair appointment and took the dog along for a ride. When they returned home, their house and their neighborhood had burned. They had no warning. Starting over when you are in your mid-eighties would be hard. Their children are lending a hand, since they live in the area. Their children are also affected by the fire. The couple is thankful that they weren't hurt, that they are in a hotel, and that they are together. They are spending some time canceling water, electrical, internet, etc. services while considering their options.

Taking a photo of the contents

Some people, who have loved ones with medical issues, left the fire area and went to a motel. The Red Cross handed out hotel vouchers to level three evacuees until the motel/hotel accommodations filled. Then shelters were opened because people had no where to go. Because of COVID concerns, they had tried to avoid opening shelters. Many evacuees are staying with family in the area. The Salvation Army has also mobilized to help people that the fire has affected. Leadership from the Salvation Army Cascade unit stated that Oregonians are a resilient group. Many people who are eligible for assistance, have figured out how to help themselves and are too proud to accept assistance. 

Yes, daughter, the Oban is packed

The Riverside fire, which has burned more than 132,000 acres, is the fire that is affecting us. I haven't heard if lives were lost in this fire nor do I know how many homes have burned. 

This is a rural area so in addition to people evacuating, there are a lot of horses, cows, goats, chickens, pigs and ducks to evacuate too. Then there are the dogs and the cats that live with the people. Dogs and cats generally aren't allowed in a shelter. A number of people have RVs so they have evacuated in those; but, they need a place to park them. Some areas, like colleges and large shopping centers have been designated as parking shelters for that purpose. Police have had to place curfews in areas and they have increased patrols to stem area looting.

The screenshot photo is the fire levels at 1pm on Thursday, September 10. Our house is the tiny black dot on the border of yellow and green just above the second red point. When our status was green, which means level one prepare to evacuate, we talked about what we would pack. We made a plan. When our status went from green to yellow, we started packing the "important stuff." Yellow is level two and it means to be ready. Red is level three and means go now.

The load

We gave ourselves two hours to pack. Bob packed documents that we need to have on hand as well as items that were special to him. I packed pictures and quilts. While I was packing, the youngest daughter called and sent a list of items she wanted saved. Her dad took care of those items. Oban spirits, a couple pictures and her baby teeth were items on her list. We each packed a GO bag. At the end of two hours we stopped. We walked through the house to see if there was something else that needed to go with us. We didn't.

Bob then photographed each room of the house so we could remember what was there. One of his friends who lives near us, offered his shop as a place to store our "important stuff." I hesitate to call our stuff valuable because to us it is sentimental and irreplaceable. Bob drove the packed Tahoe to his friend's house. (Our GO bags sit by the back door ready to be loaded.)

View at 9AM on September 13

Friday, September 11, I packed the Unity quilt and butterfly projects I've recently blogged about. I also packed my Bernina and Featherweight machines. Then I drove with them to work. It was so weird to leave not knowing if I'd be able to return or have a house to return to ten hours later! It was challenging to be separate from Bob because people evacuating have brought freeways and well traveled thorough fares to a standstill at times. We had meeting places picked for several options.

We did pack sleeping bags and tarps, water, toilet paper and some food so if we had to camp, we could. We have our dog, Bailey, who we wouldn't want to be without us even though her presence limits our accommodation options. We had planned our evacuation destination to be our daughter's home in West Linn as she had invited us. Her area, however, was placed in a level one so if we are called to evacuate we may choose a friend's house instead. 

Most of Bob's friends have extended offers to us (which includes Bailey) to stay with them and to bring as much stuff with as we can/want. A number of my friends have offered to share what they have with us. Friends who live far away have texted, e-mailed and called to check in on us. No matter what happens to us, we know that we have a wonderful support system! 

At the end of my work day, I was able to return home! The fire continues to grow and the red area of the map has inched closer to us; but, the weather has improved. The strong winds have died down and the temperatures, instead of being in the upper 90s, are in the upper 60s. Rain is forecasted to fall tomorrow and throughout the week. 

Today (Sunday), the smoke index for our area is 502 with 300 as bad. We stay inside as much as possible. Late last night, officials updated the fire evacuation map. While we are still in a level two, the line moved so we are closer to being in a level one zone. We will stay in the be ready phase until the fire threat has passed.

The lion is supporting the police

Regarding COVID:

Worldwide: 28.6M confirmed; 19.3M recovered; 917K deaths

United States: 6.56M confirmed; 3.55M recovered; 196K deaths

Oregon: 28,865 confirmed; 499 deaths

College campus have scaled back in person classes because students failed to heed the social distancing guidelines and contracted the virus. In Oregon, the word is that the smoke from the area fires can make us more susceptible to contracting COVID. 

Regarding Portland BLM protests. . .Earlier in the week the media released a poll that said Oregonians were not pleased with Mayor Ted Wheeler's response, nor Governor Kate Brown's response nor President Trump's response to the protests. Oregonians also felt that riot was a better term for the gatherings rather than the word protests. The respondents views were that the protests hurt the BLM message. 

I don't know if the protests have continued because there hasn't been a media report regarding the protests for at least the last four days. The media is busy covering all the area fires. If the destruction has stopped, perhaps, there is a correlation for appearing in a news story and rioting. Our neighbor changed the lion's hat to a police hat. Evidence of police support is everywhere--in FaceBook posts, blue ribbons worn on clothing and sign boards posted outside of homes and businesses to name a few examples.