By gabriana on October 9, 2017 ( 5 Comments )

Banging on our door

Nearby red in the sky – view from our house

After an uneasy night of super strong winds, we were awakened very early this morning by a loud banging on our door. It was our neighbors alerting us to a nearby, advancing wildfire. Our neighborhood was on high alert for possible evacuation. The wind was blowing the flames toward us — quickly.

We could see red in the sky and the air was filled with smoke. Ash rained down on us like dirty snow. At first, Mama and I were so freaked out that we just felt frozen in place. We knew we needed to pack, but we just couldn’t think. We grabbed our medications, phone chargers, a few important papers and photos, clothes and some random shit.

The day was tense while we waited for an official evacuation order. We watched the news in horror. The damage was devastating. Our local hospital was evacuated. Thousands of homes and businesses burnt to the ground. Entire urban neighborhoods were leveled. Only rubble was left. It looked like a movie set depicting the end of the world.

Our local hospital evacuated, NBC Bay Area reports

Thankfully, we are safe in our home tonight and the wind has died down. We’ve got our bags packed by the front door. We’re ready to go at a moment’s notice if the wind pushes the fire toward us again. But today’s #OneGoodThing was our thoughtful, kind neighbors waking us up and checking on us during this scary time.

Day 282 of 365. And Day 648 in a row!

1 year ago today: Waking up to this face

What was your #OneGoodThing today? Please share in the comments!