Saturday, June 30, 2012

the fire

This week has been... interesting.

First, a milestone - Evelyn has started to army crawl!  Finally!  She pulls herself around on her forearms and has discovered the joy of pulling books and shoes off of shelves in her room.  We are so proud of our little girl.

The state's worst wildfire has also been burning all week, just west of Colorado Springs.  Our home was never in danger, but the nearest evacuation zone was just 5 miles away.  Our friend Skye came to spend two nights with us, but she went home safe and sound.  Over 17,000 acres have burned so far.  Two people have died.  At least 346 homes in the NW part of the Springs are gone.  Our friends Frank and Lynn's home burnt down.  32,000 people were evacuated, and more are still on pre-evacuation notice, including Monument.  We doubt that the fire will reach our part of the city, but we have suitcases packed just in case.  We remain in contact with my grandparents and parents, knowing that there's a chance we'll all end up in one house for a while, if evacuations reach any of us.  And it's only June - we still have the high-fire-risk months of July and August to go.
Tuesday night was the worst.


It's been scary, watching my city burn down.  This has been my home for the last 21 years.  But I've never been more proud of my city.  Everyone has united to help those affected.  Shelters and charities had to turn donations away because they had so much already - how often does that happen?!  Residents have displayed uncharacteristic compassion and love.  President Obama cut through the red tape and sent more planes with fire-fighting capabilities.  After five days of only being 5% contained, the current 25% is a relief.  The national news media is no help; instead of showing the long lines of people waiting to donate materials to firefighters and evacuees, they broadcast nothing but pandering and apocalyptic nonsense.  But we know that our community is shining with love, generosity, and kindness.  I'm proud to live in Colorado Springs.

2 comments:

  1. You're right, the news is showing the 'madness' of it all. But we know, media likes the drama aspects. It's reassuring to read all the comments from you guys (via fb). I'm so proud of everyone! I didn't know they have 25% contained. That gives me a little more hope - up from the 5% I'd read about earlier this week. I'll keep doing my rain/baby maker dance for you all in hopes that relief will be on the way soon!!

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