I'm so glad to hear our LCT friends have escaped this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in this horrendous situation. Praying for better weather to help fight these fires!

Our thoughts continue to be with you all in SOCAL for a safe outcome for your families. The situation is beyond comprehension.
For anyone with pets or friends who have small pets, we just received the following information from the American Kennel Club. John is very involved with AKC and we both are dog judges. Here is information on help for anyone with small pets in need. Permission to crosspost given.
Quoting:
"In the face of advancing flames, and under urgent evacuation orders, people
reach instinctively for their beloved pets, but in the rush to leave, often
forget to take the food and other provisions necessary for their care. In order
to help fill this need, Dennis Sprung, President of the American Kennel Club,
has coordinated with Susan Sholar, President of the California Federation of
Dog Clubs, to send an immediate donation of food, collars and leashes, and
crates to help those dog owners affected by the devastating fires in southern
California.

CFODC members, and anyone else needing assistance in providing for their pets’
security and well-being as a result of these fires, should call the
California School of Dog Grooming at 1-800-949-3746, and ask for Susan. The school,
located in San Diego, is the designated site for distribution of the donated
supplies, as well as a growing list of volunteers with offers to foster care, or
with available kennels, dog runs, RV parking spaces, spare bedrooms, sofa
beds, and the like.

The AKC and CFODC, in order to maximize their opportunity to help, ask that
you cross post this message wherever possible.

Thank you.

Board of Directors
California Federation of Dog Clubs "

Our prayers are with you all.
Kathy

Good information Kathy. Today the winds are so calm, it is still hot and dry but NO WIND around us. Temps are suppose to cool down tomorrow.

Hoping and praying all of you are safe today and the winds will continue to calm down! :)

We slept to 6 a.m.!! It's a scary quiet but oh so happy to have the peaceful calm of NO WIND.

...now for San Diego. Nephew is evacuated & made his way to my daughter's place near Qualcomm Stadium in SD. My heart hurts for them & everyone suffering down there. Just heard that the big tanker DC-10 is flying over San Diego. That is one incredible sight to see that plane work approx. 300 ft. off of the ground.

My boss is attending a meeting in Dallas and left a message early this morning for me to call him when I arrived at our office. His wife is in a panic, as the fires are now threatening where they live, in San Clemente, near Camp Pendleton. He wanted me to arrange a flight home for him ASAP. Needless to say, she is terrified and he is on pins and needles to be with her. Thanks to the fine and understanding AA agent, my boss will be home at around 2:30 today. They have waived change fees for him too.

I wrote to Shirley to see how she and her family were doing. I became concerned because she hasn't posted in a while. She asked that I post her reply -

Good Morning Denise,

Yesterday was a bad day.

We (daughter and I) are o.k. However, it is likely my grandson and family have lost their home - they live/lived in Fallbrook. They are here with us and, hopefully, will get some information today. I have a total of 6 extra people here and, as you can imagine, have been pretty busy.

I did not feel well at all yesterday and am sure it was due to the air quality as it is terrible. It looks somewhat better outside this morning and my chest is not hurting as bad. Everything outside is covered with a layer of ash and I am going to try and get some areas hosed off today.

In the scheme of things, we are very fortunate as some of the stories that are coming out are just horrendous. I thank God for that.

I am so touched by all the response I have had from my new LCT family. You are wonderful. Would you do me a favor and post a note on the site that I am o.k.?

I will probably dissolve in tears when I get to meet all of you. This has really put a damper on trip preparations but hope to get back on target the next couple days.

I love you all,

Shirley


Shirley, we love and are thinking of you, too! Please take care!

Oh this is just so sad... thanks for posting this Denise. My heart goes out to all of them.
Adding: Kathy & John, thanks for sharing the very helpful information regarding the animals.

Thanks Denise, I was worrying about her as well and will send her an email today.

My neice evacuated her home in San Diego, thats all I know. She called my Dad yesterday, and I asked him what the situation was, but he is a bit confused, so his info is unreliable. I need to email her again today and find out what I can.

Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected, it must just be a devastating situation.

Michelle - glad you got some sleep last night.

I wish we could get more detail back here, but we only get what little the networks want to broadcast. We've seen mostly information on Rancho Bernardo, which looks like it was pretty well wiped out.

My heart is aching for Shirley's Grandson! JoAnn, I so hope your niece is OK and your boss Denise. So thankful the airlines were so cooperative and he'll be home soon.
Michele, Tom and I have had you and Don on our minds constantly and pray for the safety of your nephew.

This is such a terrible nightmare!! I sure hope the end is in sight soon.

To All the SC's our thoughts and prayers are with you. How terrible for you all. Just saw on our TV that Canada (British Columbia) has sent in the two largest water bombers in the world. Their turnaround time is 14 minutes.Apparently they used to be troop carriers so they are gigantic. So lets hope they can help somewhat our neighbours to the south fight those fires.

JoAnn and all –

Our local ABC affiliate website is an excellent source of news and information on the fires. Here is a link. The smoke was so thick yesterday it looked like cloud cover. Paul works in Pasadena and said yesterday his car was covered in ash. We have some friends who lost a home in Lake Arrowhead.

My heart goes out to all who have lost property or worse. Hope this is all over very soon.

Denise thanks for posting the update from Shirley. Her poor grandson and family as well as all the rest who have lost homes and/or had to evacuate.

I can only try to imagine how one picks up the pieces and tries to clean the ashes away and hope for the best. It is a helpless feeling, but know prayers are being said for all involved!

Glad you got a bit of sleep Michele & Don and I pray you are kept safe.

Denise your poor boss and his wife - prayers for them as well will be said!

Thank God for the help from Canada! :)

Hello Everyone,

My deep thanks to all of you for your thoughts and good wishes. I have a few minutes here, so will try and answer some questions and give an up-date from North San Diego County. The situation here is still very critical. Yes, the winds have died down, very good news, but the fires are still raging and will continue to do so for some time. The I-5 corridor from San Clemente to S.D. was shut down both direction this a.m. because of fires in the Camp Pendelton area. This means that getting around is very difficult. Just heard they have opened south bound, north remains closed. The winds are starting to shift which will start blowing all the smoke back in from the ocean. They are predicting dangerous air quality. A couple hours ago I thought I was going to have to go for emergency treatment as my nose started to bleed and I could'nt get it stopped. I was really scared. A nurse who lives down the street came up and helped me get it under control.

All schools, most businesses, are still closed for the rest of the week and people are being urged to stay home as much as possible.

JoAnn: Fallbrook is really bad, now more than 200 homes lost and the area around Old 395 is a total loss. Chad and family still cannot gain access to their area of Fallbrook to determine the status of their home, but it looks bad.

It is so amazing to see how the people of S.D. are conducting themselves in this emergency. There has been no looting in evacuated areas, people are orderly and pouring their hearts into helping in every way possible.

I have to say that I am apprehensive about leaving for this cruise next week. Thank goodness I have a lot of things already taken care of but there will still be much to do. I have a houseful here, including 2 babies, so busy, busy, busy!

Again, your thoughts and prayers are so wonderful.

Shirley

So very sorry to read this Shirley - I will hope and pray your grandson finds better news that he is expecting - I am thinking about all of you! Joanna

Robert - thanks for the link, I will check it out.

Denise - meant to mention I was so glad to hear that AA cooperated and your boss would be getting home soon. I'm sure his wife is frantic, as well as he.

Shirley - thanks for taking some time to update. It sounds just devestating. Thanks for sharing the info on Fallbrook with me. I know that on the East side of I15 there were numerous new communities going in the last time I was there all the way up the hillside, where it use to be miles of orange and avacado trees. My parents community was on the West side of I15/old 395, but basically right on the corner so to speak on Dulin Road, it doesn't sound good. I will have to see what else I can find out.

I emailed my neice and she did reply. She is back in their house, they lifted the evacuation on their neighborhood, Rancho Pinsaquitis, which apparently is just south of Rancho Bernardo. Things are still shaky, and she stayed home from work today just in case so she could get the dogs out if things changed for the worse. Her husband took the babyinto SD to her daycare, where apparently the air is a little better quality, and then he is at work nearby, so he could get to her if necessary. So at this point they are fine, although she says that things are still very unpredictable. She also said, though that the winds appeared to be slowing down and that there were several big water tankers coming in and they were glad for that.

Shirley,

I am sorry that you are experiencing the worst fire in California history. There is a ton of help headed down south - from many sources.

One of the stories was about the emotional issues surrounding being exposed to all of the disaster information that causes Post Traumatic Stress.

The latest news now that the weather is changing is that the winds will shift whic hmay either blow the burning fires back or into areas not evacuated. Still fairly smokey. No more flames in Malibu but the fire is still considered active.

Shirley, so good to hear from you with your updates. I was listening to some interviews with people held up at Qualcomm Stadium and as you mentioned, it sounds like everything is going very orderly...nothing like the chaos, looting and crimes with Katrina.

This tragedy is so wide spread...almost everyone has a friend, relative, co worker, or knows someone evacuated who has lost their home or still unsure. In the past I always felt the tragedies affected "other people", never anyone we actually knew. Not so anymore. It seems so surreal.

There are still 18 active fires, can't wait until this number is ZERO.

This is just so heartbreaking. You are all in my thoughts and prayers, LCT members and "extended family". What Marcie said is so true, almost everyone knows someone in the affected areas.

Greg has lots of coworkers in both San Diego and Orange County. He hasn't heard from any of them :( , except that a company-wide blanket email went out about the SD office being closed and families evacuated. We hate not knowing what is going on with them.

Michele, I'm so glad that it sounds as your situation is improving and that you were able to sleep "late" ;) .

Shirley,

Thanks for letting us now how things are with you.

So sorry about your problems and your grandson possibly losing his home! At least they had your home to take refuge in .

My thoughts are with you and I'll keep thinking positive until I meet you next week! If you have a chance later let us know how you are doing and what news you ahve about your grandson's home.

Denise, glad that you could act quickly to bring your boss back. I don't blame his wife for being terrified!

What's this I'm hearing about a suspected arsonist arrest in one of the fires? ARGH!!

My heart goes out to all of you that have relatives that have lost their houses in these fires. Thinking of you and them at this time ... :(

Masaki

The news of these fires in SOCAL is overwhelming. I don't know what to say beyond what so many others have already said. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Local Michigan Red Cross workers have traveled to SOCAL to help assist those persons who have been displaced.

Sounds like it's a little better this morning. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed it continues to improve as the fires are completely contained.

Same thing here, Kathy ... alerts went out to the Jersey Coast Red Cross disaster volunteers for deployment into SoCal. Usual order is shelter workers first, then client services (qualify & distribute short-term financial assistance to meet immediate needs for food & shelter).

Kudos to the Michiganders who are pitching in, as well as the great reports of all the local SoCal volunteers who are keeping things alive and supported for their neighbors in need. It makes a big difference to know your neighbor, indeed the whole country, is there for you at a time like this.

Cheers, Anne

There are fire people and volunteers now from so many states. They were just showing that on the news for the San Diego fires.

Good Morning All,

Reporting in from smokey San Diego:

Things are improving in this area, a lot of people now able to go back to their homes. Awoke to cool breezes instead of heat. The air, however, is still pretty bad, I'm staying indoors as much as possible and don't feel really very good. In talking w/ lots of people, that seems to be the case. Breathing all the pollutants is definitely taking it's toll. It's like the oxygen has been sucked out of the air, it leaves you feeling very tired and lethargic.

The Rice Fire in Fallbrook is still the stubborn one at this point, still no one allowed back until they can declare it is safe. They are saying that later today they will start letting people back in. So....we still don't know about my grandson's home. He talked to the Fallbrook Fire Dept. and they think his street is o.k. so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

It continues to be so heartwarming to witness the outpouring of help and support from all over the country. That's what living in the good 'ol U.S.A. is all about: "Love thy fellowman".
Should I get off my podium now? :rolleyes: Seriously, we in SoCal continue to be eternally grateful.

Shirley

Shirley it is great to hear from you and that things are starting to turn around for the better.

Take care and stay inside as much as you can and try to rest. CROSS will be a wonderful place for you to get some fresh air and relax!

I pray your grandsons home is safe! :)

Thanks for checking in Shirley and glad to hear there is some relief. Agree with Sue, try to just get some rest and take care of yourself. So glad to hear your Grandson's home may not have been lost.

My neice and family are now in the "allowed back in zone". She sent me some very good information, maps and such from Fox6 new station yesterday. The place my parents lived, was definitely under evacuation. Our friends cabin in Arrowhead also was spared, as most of the fire as of yesterday was on the golf course side, and I haven't heard anything different from them today.

CROSS will be a great place for you to recover from all this stress. See you soon.

Shirley,

After all the stress of the fires and the news, Cross will be a breath of fresh air. The latest news is with all the smoke, they were saying today that it will take a few weeks for all the respirtory symptoms to appear for those who were in the areas affected. Some of the symptoms of exposure IS being tired because the oxygen levels have been impacted by the fires adding to that the stress and worry.

A book by the pool and a drink at the bar will be great medicine!

Oh, my heart just aches for all of you affected by this awful, awful tragedy.

Shirley, god bless your family, I so hope your grandson gets some good news. No one has ever deserved a nice cruise more.

Michele, we have thought of you and Don constantly. Please take care....get MORE sleep honey......

Praying for some more good news on the news tonight!

So many are not only feeling the physical effects of the air quality (or lack thereof), the emotional effects are apparent. People are tired and drained.

Our hotel has been receiving evacuees from the San Diego area.

Happy to report my boss' home was not affected, as he initially feared it would be when he called yesterday.

Shirley, the CA contingency is going to really savor CROSS!

Better days ahead!

Amen to all of the above! I am picturing myself sitting on my balcony w/ a tall something and breathing fresh wonderful clean air. My lungs are craving fresh air, I'm starting to wheeze.

It's interesting, there was a vet on T.V today addressing concerns about the effects on our pets. They are having to give some horses I.V.'s as they sometimes won't drink when they are displaced. With dogs and cats they usually get vomitig and diaharea (sp) symptoms. He also said that they will start exibiting some of the same symptoms we are having i.e. lethargy, coughing etc. Of course, when they see us stressed they pick up on that. My cat who is usually running around getting into mischief is pretty low keyed right now. Not a bad thing, really, as she is such a pill.

Ta Ta Shirley

Did I miss the post where Michele and Don checked in today...are they ok?

Denise so happy to read that all is ok for your boss and his home! You have been working so hard through all of this...bless your heart!

Shirley your humor brings a smile to my face - I know you have been through so much and you are tired, yet your "ta ta" shows that you are a trooper! Bless you!

Kathy; glad to read all is well near you and the same in your area Marcie! :)

Over here in the desert we've been getting those blood-red sunsets the past 2 nights...never a good sight to see. The smoke has now arrived even here, 100+ miles away. I can't imagine how bad it must be for you all. Know that our prayers continue.

Shirley, you deserve that tall drink poolside while gliding through the seas! CROSS might end up being the best vacation you've ever had - and even stale airplane air will be welcome to you! I am very glad you will be able to escape this for awhile. Same to Denise and Kathy who I know need a breath of fresh air!!!

We have blood red sunsets here too, although they are due to some controlled burns that have been taking place in the Jemez Mountains and near Los Alamos. There was an article in the paper today stating that the particles in the smoke scatter the light and enhance the color.

Tonight I heard an interview on the PBS NewsHour with Bodie Shaw who is with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, the government's mobilizing center for coordinating firefighting efforts across the country in times of emergency.

Part of the interview included statements that some communities in So. California that had put Firewise/Shelter in Place procedures and precautions in place were spared from the devastation of the fires.

Our community, which is in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mtns and borders the Santa fe National Forest, went through this program a few years ago - we had representatives from the Wildland/Urban Interface agency and local fire department come through our community and do an assesment of our risk, make recommendations and help us formulate an emergency plan. I've just sent a note to our homeowner's association board of directors to re-energize this program and education for us.

Here is their mission:

The national Firewise Communities program is intended to serve as a resource for agencies, tribes, organizations, fire departments, and communities across the U.S. who are working toward a common goal: reduce loss of lives, property, and resources to wildland fire by building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings.


Here's a link for more information:

Firewise Communities

Yes, Leslie, that is true. Example here is in Rancho Santa Fe where 3 or 4 newer developments have implemented that procedure. Many homes surrounding those communities were lost but not a single one lost in the fire protected communities. It really takes a very strong and enforced set of regulations to make that work. But... when you choose to live in that kind of environment that is what is neeeded. I do think more communities will adopt that concept moving forward. Thanks for your input.

Kristin, I think you are right. This is going to be my best vacation ever. My grandson and family get to go home tomorrow, hopefully to a still standing home. I guarantee that if that becomes a reality you will hear a big loud sigh of relief from here. You will know, I will post.

Shirley

Kristen,

Yes, I think we will all see to it that this is the best vacation - at least for this year! I will do my part to see to it. I don't think that we Californian's will be celebrating alone. We have a lot of people to keep us company! Shirley, I think that sigh of relief will be shared too.

Leslie, thanks for the link. I will send it on to the HOA here.

We have good news here too. Our neighbor, the Fireman, is back home to spend the night - fire truck in the driveway. (that's a long story)
L

Has anyone heard from Michelle and Don recently? anxious to know.

It appears most LCT'ers escaped damae.

The Los Angeles Area fires are out or are fully contained. The fires still going are Santiago (Orange County) and some down south in San Diego area; Also Lake Arrowhead which is about 90 miles from LA...I bet they have breathed a sigh of relief and are out there getting back to normal...

I'm finally able to check in from my daughter's home in San Diego. It was so wonderful to be able to hug her! She is so sleep deprieved as is everyone else in SoCal. What a difficult week...hard to say anything other than we are pulling for those who suffered so greatly in this horrific disaster.

After cleaning & removing huge fallen branches & tons of debris around our property, then retrieving lawn chairs, cushions, flower pots, etc., out of our pool, we jumped into the car & drove south to San Diego. We were shocked to see that the fires of San Diego County burned all the way north to San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. For anyone who knows the area along Interstate 5, the burned area goes from San Onofre to the south along I-5 in Camp Pendleton for miles & miles & miles, finally turning inland near Oceanside. So sad to see. One can see the fires burning eastward off into the distance. I would imagine that is somewhere toward Fallbrook. I thought about you & your family, Shirley. Hope you are getting some good news very soon.

Before I left my house in Santa Clarita, I saw a beautiful pink flower that had just popped up. Wow - nature is already renewing itself.

There are many stories that I hope I never forget....stories of friends, animal rescues, people helping each other. I want to thank Dena (DenaH)for contacting me with her timely information which helped in locating places to board large animals. My daughter was able to pass this information on to her company & its many employees & families at a critical & chaotic time. Thanks to Kathy (Harbormaster) for the advice in helping our smaller 4 legged friends as they are so VERY traumatized.

One unusual story that has a happy ending: My daughter found herself in the middle of helping a young co-worker find help in evacuating many of this co-worker's domestic & exotic animals from her family's 20 acre estate in Rancho Santa Fe. (They have a zoo license & provide a habitat for several endangered species, in addition to their own domestic herd!) What a drama that was -horses, goats, parrots, dogs, cats; and, on the exotic side, there was even a Komodo dragon caged but unable to be moved without a flatbed truck! The only way to get these animals to safety was with the assistance of The San Diego Zoo. Many tearful & frantic phone calls later, Zoo volunteers arrived just in time to transport the dragon & the ostrich (The alligators & tortoises remained in their habitats.) What a time for the rest of the family to be out of town! I'm happy to say that all her animals are safe & healthy though very traumatized. The house was severely smoke damaged but survived the firestorm in a pretty hard hit area.

It's time to send our heartfelt thanks to each & everyone of you for being here for us. I appreciate all of your kind posts, emails, phone calls, & generous offers of help. Will never forget dear Jackie (Jackie) for the prayer over the phone...She called right in the middle of the firestorm on Monday! And, I just know it's going to be a grand day for Marcie's daughter's wedding tomorrow and an even grander "Grand Crossing" for our SoCal clan, dear Denise, Shirley & Kathy. We all have so much to be thankful for!!...what a week. - love, Michele & Don

Michele, I am just glad that you and the the rest of our friends came through this in one piece! Let's hope you won't have to experience this ever again.