As I begin to type, I have no words. I’m speechless and in shock. The tragedy that has struck my city in the past 4 days has been surreal. Out of a movie. A nightmare.
Monday the 9th at 2am, we were evacuated from our home in Santa Rosa, CA due to wildfires that were out of control and headed rapidly towards our neighborhood. The panic was unreal. The smoke was insanely heavy in the air and we could barely see 4 feet in front of us. Everybody was trying to get out of town, we were all in shock, half asleep, and panicked. What should only be a 20 minute drive, took us the better part of 2 hours. Towards the end of the day, we evacuated to Redwood City where my grandparents live. The air was clean and we found shelter and comfort with family. We’ve been here ever since.
These last 4 days seem to blur together. It’s our 4th day of being evacuated and our eyes have been glued to the TV watching any and all news updates. Nothing is getting better, the winds have not died down and the fires keep spreading. Tens of thousands of people have fled, and at least 3,500 homes, businesses, and other structures have burned. The Tubbs Fire has burned at least 34,000 acres in and around Santa Rosa. Extremely strong winds whipped through Sonoma County causing the fires to rapidly spread in every direction and it even hopped a 6 lane freeway. These stats are just from the Santa Rosa Fire…there are currently raging fires in Napa, Calistoga, Fairfield, and Anaheim!
That I can count, I personally know 34 families who have lost their homes and everything they own. They barely escaped with just the clothes on their backs. My heart is so heavy and aches for my dear friends. I can’t even imagine what they are going through. As of now, our house is still standing. But we are still under mandatory evacuation and our house threatened by the flames.
On a positive note, it’s been incredible to see our city and community come together and help each other. The emergency first responders are heroes. It makes me so proud to be apart of this amazing community.
For those who lost everything in the fire, if I’ve done any photography for you over the years that you’ve lost. Please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have backups of everything and could be more than happy to give you your photos again.
Pray for Sonoma County. This nightmare isn’t over yet.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way.” Psalm 46:1-2
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