Where do I begin???
Let's start by saying. Right now we are all fine. We got home this morning and house is perfect. Some wind/ash/soot damage, but that is small potatoes, and I welcome it!!!*************************************************************************************
Here is a timeline of what has been happening:
Sunday, October 21st.
6:30am Joe leaves for Tokyo
12:30pm - Kids and I go to a birthday party in the park in 4s Ranch (my development)
1:30pm - Smoke starts to fill the park, slowly, we know there is a fire, and we know it is 20 miles north. Fire not a concern, the smoke is. The air is so bad, we all leave. Go home, shut all windows, and continue on our day, indoors. It smells bad, but we had been smelling the smoky sooty smell all day. We go to sleep.
***********************************************************************************
Monday, October 22nd.
12:30am - I lie in bed listening to heavy winds. approx. 50 mile an hour winds. I keep hearing stuff flying all over. I finally doze off about 2:00am
4:00am - Cece wakes me up. I assume she has to go out. As soon as I fully awake, something smells different. The house had already had that sooty smell, but this was definitely worse. I go downstairs, and open the door for cece to go out. It was unbelievable. Winds were whipping through the backyard. It smelled really bad. It was really smoky. There was ash flying around the backyard. I immediately turned on the TV and saw that the fire that started in Ramona Sunday, had reached Rancho Bernardo. (just for reference, I live in San Diego, within san diego, I live in Rancho Bernardo, within Rancho Bernardo I live in 4s Ranch.)
At this point the news indicated that it was on the other side of the highway 15 and only that side was in danger. I was glued to the news, not really sure, whether this would effect me, was i just being paranoid, I really didn't know. I just kept watching.
5:00am - Fire was moving further south, toward my area, but not real close. At this point, I started loading all my pictures into Rubbermaid tubs. I brought them all downstairs near the garage. When I got close to the garage, I could tell the smell of smoke was much worse in the garage. The winds were still whipping up, and I couldn't wait for daylight. I still had the news on and wasn't sure whether I was being paranoid or not.
6:00am - My friend Julie called me and asked if I was okay. I asked what to do. She told me that there is a system in place called Reverse 911 for evacuation. If we need to evacuate, I will get the call. She said, just pack a back in case, and wait for the call. After that I started throwing things into a bag to take with us. Clothes for the kids, my clothes, toiletries, etc.
6:30am - Kids are now waking up, the sun is still not up, and I am starting to panic. I realize now, that I am not paranoid, and evacuating is real. As i am trying to calmly explain to the kids to get dressed, I am also getting a backpack for each of them of their favorite stuffed animals, activities, books, etc.
7:00am - Julie calls me back and tells me Jenni (another friend) is not waiting for 911 call, she left, but she is sitting in gridlock traffic and not moving, trying to get on the major highway.
7:15am - Joe calls from Tokyo to see how I am, I lose it a little bit, as now it becomes real because he has no idea how bad it really is.
7:30am - I open the garage door, and see everybody on my street packing up their cars quickly. I load the tubs of pictures in the car, the emergency kit, the suitcase and the kids backpacks in the car. Meanwhile, it is like armageddon out there. Winds whipping at 50plus miles, shit flying everywhere and an unbelievable stench. I ge the kids in the car, and cece, and get ready to leave. As soon as I leave my street, i see the traffic starting to back up. I get on the highway that leads to the major artery out of rancho bernardo. It is dead stop traffic and stinks to high heaven. I noticed that the opposite side is empty. I called julie, who was waiting for reverse 911 and asked her if the news said anything about the Rancho bernardo road entrance to 15 was open. She informed me it was open, but they are going to close it soon. I drove over the divider (not my best example of driving, or following rules)and hightailed it to the entrance on the other side. I turn right on the road that would lead me there, I drive fast for the next mile, and all of a sudden the mountains come into view. I see the fire coming over the mountain. I hesitated, not knowing whether i continue or turn around. The car ahead of me turned around. Nobody is on this road but me, I figure, if it was that dangerous, it would have been closed, so I continue to floor it. I get on the highway no problem and call Jenni, who had left earlier, and is still not on the highway. There were also major road closures, so i wasn't sure what direction to go. Jenni tells me where to go, and we meet there. She takes me to her in laws, who live further east. Mind you she has 3 kids with her. I have 3 kids and a dog!!
9:00am. we arrive at rich's parent's house. they are the nicest most welcoming people and treated me and my children as if we were there own. Even Cece. They didn't care at all. Kids are actually doing great and playin with each other. We are glued to news coverage and can't believe the morning we have had.
12:00pm. We take the kids to an indoor mall for lunch. Come back to rich's parent's house. His mother decides to make play doh for the kids (she is a kindergarten teacher). They are just so great. She is treating my kids like her own grandchildren. Between non stop news coverage and phone calls and rumors, we are trying to get the story about what is happening. Rich is a police officer, so we do get direct scoop, and his brother in law works for the dept. of justice. so we know things pretty early on. Kids are happy playing and we decide to stay put, because we have nowhere else to go. all hotels are full and any direction i would want to drive in, roads are closed. Meanwhile, cece is still hanging in there wondering what the hell is going on.
10:00pm kids crash, i am still in shock and watching the tv 24/7
Tuesday, October 23rd
2:30am Rich comes home from work and tells me that the fire is coming close to his parents house but he doesn't think it will be a problem.
5:00am Jenni comes down and tells me to pack up, we have to get out, the fire is closer than we think. Jenni wakes rich who calls headquarters and says its premature, we can stay there.
9:00am Joe tells me he is in la, but they can't fly into san diego and they will rent a car. He calls back later, there are no rental cars to be had in la. He is still on the plane, as they keep waffling whether or not to fly in the smoke.
11:30am - Joe calls me and tells me he is in san diego, ca and the pilot decided he could make it and come get him at the airport. On the drive to the airport to get him, I bring Evan, because he is exhausted and leave the girls with Jenni. Evan falls asleep immediately, as I drive to the airport, i am listening to the news, because i have to be aware of where the fire is as there are road closures all over the place.
12:30 - get joe and bring him to Rich's parents. At this point, his colleague calls, there is a hotel room where he is. At dinner time, We move over to the hotel, much to Jenni and her family's dismay.
6:30pm - we are constantly watching the news to see if we have to move. Even though we think we are in a safe area, it is constantly changing.
10:00pm - kids are fed, mostly asleep, and as exhausted as I am, whenever I doze off, I am convinced that I am missing something and we should be moving.
Wednesday, October 24th
6:00am- wake up. go to Jenni's in laws, the kids want to play, and we take them to an indoor mall. The air smells like a damp fireplace and you can feel your throat being scratchy after being outside for 5 minutes.
12:00pm We go to the mall and we have Cece with us. We are bringing her in the mall, and I am approached by a security guard telling me i can't bring cece in on a leash, but a doggy bag or a doggy stroller is okay. In the mall is a petstore. I absolutely refuse to buy a doggy stroller. I don't even have a stroller for my kids anymore, if you think I am buying one for the stinkin' dog, you are crazy. Sadly, I settle on a Paris Hilton like bag for my 20lb dog. Cece loves it, and you can't even tell that she is in there. She was actually sleeping in there.
3:00pm Rumors starting to circulate about being let back in to 4s ranch. Then there are rumors that we can go back but there is no electricity.
5:00pm San Diego City is saying we can go back, San Diego County is saying we can't.
8:00pm Rumors circulating, there is power, but there is looting going on in 4s Ranch. Joe and I decide to stay in the hotel and regroup in the morning.
Thursday, October 25
6:15am The moment I wake up, my thought is the same, turn on the news see if we are still okay. We are. 4s Ranch was officially opened at 10:00pm last night. Electricity on and no looters.
8:00am We check out of the hotel. As we get closer to home the smell is more pungent. In addition as we pull into our development, certain landmark sites/homes that we are used to seeing are gone. There is a lot of wind damage. There is soot everywhere and ash. The inside of the house is flawless. It seems forever ago, that i was awestruck in front of the tv thinking that I might have to evacuate.
As you can tell from the news. We are the lucky ones. so many people are coming home to NOTHING. It is amazing. Our development is a "shelter in place", which means when building our development, they did everything possible, maintaining greenery around perimeter, concrete fire breaks, to eliminate the spread of wildfire. That in itself helped saved our home. Also, they are building a high school right across the way from me. When I first moved here that was all trees, had they not cleared those trees for the high school, i most certainly would have lost part or all of my home. I will never complain about the construction again, what used to bug the crap out of me every day has become a blessing, and I will welcome that noise!!!
Of course, I am going to have to pontificate and teach a lesson. At the very least, call your insurance agent and make sure you have enough coverage. In addition, go around your house take pictures of everything, burn a disc and keep it in your spouse's office or in a firebox.
Thank you all for all the phone calls/emails inquiring about our safety. It was nice to feel so loved during a time when you didn't know what was going on.
love and miss you all,
sn
Here is a timeline of what has been happening:
Sunday, October 21st.
6:30am Joe leaves for Tokyo
12:30pm - Kids and I go to a birthday party in the park in 4s Ranch (my development)
1:30pm - Smoke starts to fill the park, slowly, we know there is a fire, and we know it is 20 miles north. Fire not a concern, the smoke is. The air is so bad, we all leave. Go home, shut all windows, and continue on our day, indoors. It smells bad, but we had been smelling the smoky sooty smell all day. We go to sleep.
***********************************************************************************
Monday, October 22nd.
12:30am - I lie in bed listening to heavy winds. approx. 50 mile an hour winds. I keep hearing stuff flying all over. I finally doze off about 2:00am
4:00am - Cece wakes me up. I assume she has to go out. As soon as I fully awake, something smells different. The house had already had that sooty smell, but this was definitely worse. I go downstairs, and open the door for cece to go out. It was unbelievable. Winds were whipping through the backyard. It smelled really bad. It was really smoky. There was ash flying around the backyard. I immediately turned on the TV and saw that the fire that started in Ramona Sunday, had reached Rancho Bernardo. (just for reference, I live in San Diego, within san diego, I live in Rancho Bernardo, within Rancho Bernardo I live in 4s Ranch.)
At this point the news indicated that it was on the other side of the highway 15 and only that side was in danger. I was glued to the news, not really sure, whether this would effect me, was i just being paranoid, I really didn't know. I just kept watching.
5:00am - Fire was moving further south, toward my area, but not real close. At this point, I started loading all my pictures into Rubbermaid tubs. I brought them all downstairs near the garage. When I got close to the garage, I could tell the smell of smoke was much worse in the garage. The winds were still whipping up, and I couldn't wait for daylight. I still had the news on and wasn't sure whether I was being paranoid or not.
6:00am - My friend Julie called me and asked if I was okay. I asked what to do. She told me that there is a system in place called Reverse 911 for evacuation. If we need to evacuate, I will get the call. She said, just pack a back in case, and wait for the call. After that I started throwing things into a bag to take with us. Clothes for the kids, my clothes, toiletries, etc.
6:30am - Kids are now waking up, the sun is still not up, and I am starting to panic. I realize now, that I am not paranoid, and evacuating is real. As i am trying to calmly explain to the kids to get dressed, I am also getting a backpack for each of them of their favorite stuffed animals, activities, books, etc.
7:00am - Julie calls me back and tells me Jenni (another friend) is not waiting for 911 call, she left, but she is sitting in gridlock traffic and not moving, trying to get on the major highway.
7:15am - Joe calls from Tokyo to see how I am, I lose it a little bit, as now it becomes real because he has no idea how bad it really is.
7:30am - I open the garage door, and see everybody on my street packing up their cars quickly. I load the tubs of pictures in the car, the emergency kit, the suitcase and the kids backpacks in the car. Meanwhile, it is like armageddon out there. Winds whipping at 50plus miles, shit flying everywhere and an unbelievable stench. I ge the kids in the car, and cece, and get ready to leave. As soon as I leave my street, i see the traffic starting to back up. I get on the highway that leads to the major artery out of rancho bernardo. It is dead stop traffic and stinks to high heaven. I noticed that the opposite side is empty. I called julie, who was waiting for reverse 911 and asked her if the news said anything about the Rancho bernardo road entrance to 15 was open. She informed me it was open, but they are going to close it soon. I drove over the divider (not my best example of driving, or following rules)and hightailed it to the entrance on the other side. I turn right on the road that would lead me there, I drive fast for the next mile, and all of a sudden the mountains come into view. I see the fire coming over the mountain. I hesitated, not knowing whether i continue or turn around. The car ahead of me turned around. Nobody is on this road but me, I figure, if it was that dangerous, it would have been closed, so I continue to floor it. I get on the highway no problem and call Jenni, who had left earlier, and is still not on the highway. There were also major road closures, so i wasn't sure what direction to go. Jenni tells me where to go, and we meet there. She takes me to her in laws, who live further east. Mind you she has 3 kids with her. I have 3 kids and a dog!!
9:00am. we arrive at rich's parent's house. they are the nicest most welcoming people and treated me and my children as if we were there own. Even Cece. They didn't care at all. Kids are actually doing great and playin with each other. We are glued to news coverage and can't believe the morning we have had.
12:00pm. We take the kids to an indoor mall for lunch. Come back to rich's parent's house. His mother decides to make play doh for the kids (she is a kindergarten teacher). They are just so great. She is treating my kids like her own grandchildren. Between non stop news coverage and phone calls and rumors, we are trying to get the story about what is happening. Rich is a police officer, so we do get direct scoop, and his brother in law works for the dept. of justice. so we know things pretty early on. Kids are happy playing and we decide to stay put, because we have nowhere else to go. all hotels are full and any direction i would want to drive in, roads are closed. Meanwhile, cece is still hanging in there wondering what the hell is going on.
10:00pm kids crash, i am still in shock and watching the tv 24/7
Tuesday, October 23rd
2:30am Rich comes home from work and tells me that the fire is coming close to his parents house but he doesn't think it will be a problem.
5:00am Jenni comes down and tells me to pack up, we have to get out, the fire is closer than we think. Jenni wakes rich who calls headquarters and says its premature, we can stay there.
9:00am Joe tells me he is in la, but they can't fly into san diego and they will rent a car. He calls back later, there are no rental cars to be had in la. He is still on the plane, as they keep waffling whether or not to fly in the smoke.
11:30am - Joe calls me and tells me he is in san diego, ca and the pilot decided he could make it and come get him at the airport. On the drive to the airport to get him, I bring Evan, because he is exhausted and leave the girls with Jenni. Evan falls asleep immediately, as I drive to the airport, i am listening to the news, because i have to be aware of where the fire is as there are road closures all over the place.
12:30 - get joe and bring him to Rich's parents. At this point, his colleague calls, there is a hotel room where he is. At dinner time, We move over to the hotel, much to Jenni and her family's dismay.
6:30pm - we are constantly watching the news to see if we have to move. Even though we think we are in a safe area, it is constantly changing.
10:00pm - kids are fed, mostly asleep, and as exhausted as I am, whenever I doze off, I am convinced that I am missing something and we should be moving.
Wednesday, October 24th
6:00am- wake up. go to Jenni's in laws, the kids want to play, and we take them to an indoor mall. The air smells like a damp fireplace and you can feel your throat being scratchy after being outside for 5 minutes.
12:00pm We go to the mall and we have Cece with us. We are bringing her in the mall, and I am approached by a security guard telling me i can't bring cece in on a leash, but a doggy bag or a doggy stroller is okay. In the mall is a petstore. I absolutely refuse to buy a doggy stroller. I don't even have a stroller for my kids anymore, if you think I am buying one for the stinkin' dog, you are crazy. Sadly, I settle on a Paris Hilton like bag for my 20lb dog. Cece loves it, and you can't even tell that she is in there. She was actually sleeping in there.
3:00pm Rumors starting to circulate about being let back in to 4s ranch. Then there are rumors that we can go back but there is no electricity.
5:00pm San Diego City is saying we can go back, San Diego County is saying we can't.
8:00pm Rumors circulating, there is power, but there is looting going on in 4s Ranch. Joe and I decide to stay in the hotel and regroup in the morning.
Thursday, October 25
6:15am The moment I wake up, my thought is the same, turn on the news see if we are still okay. We are. 4s Ranch was officially opened at 10:00pm last night. Electricity on and no looters.
8:00am We check out of the hotel. As we get closer to home the smell is more pungent. In addition as we pull into our development, certain landmark sites/homes that we are used to seeing are gone. There is a lot of wind damage. There is soot everywhere and ash. The inside of the house is flawless. It seems forever ago, that i was awestruck in front of the tv thinking that I might have to evacuate.
As you can tell from the news. We are the lucky ones. so many people are coming home to NOTHING. It is amazing. Our development is a "shelter in place", which means when building our development, they did everything possible, maintaining greenery around perimeter, concrete fire breaks, to eliminate the spread of wildfire. That in itself helped saved our home. Also, they are building a high school right across the way from me. When I first moved here that was all trees, had they not cleared those trees for the high school, i most certainly would have lost part or all of my home. I will never complain about the construction again, what used to bug the crap out of me every day has become a blessing, and I will welcome that noise!!!
Of course, I am going to have to pontificate and teach a lesson. At the very least, call your insurance agent and make sure you have enough coverage. In addition, go around your house take pictures of everything, burn a disc and keep it in your spouse's office or in a firebox.
Thank you all for all the phone calls/emails inquiring about our safety. It was nice to feel so loved during a time when you didn't know what was going on.
love and miss you all,
sn
Comments
Glad you are safe, reason # 1,000 to move back home !!
miss u guys !