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| Sunday, 2-Nov-2003 00:00 |
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The Human Toll of the Southern California Fires:The Aftermath
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The Human Toll of the Southern California Fires
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Behind the flames, the names: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/fires/toll.html
Most of the confirmed deaths involve people who were consumed by flames in or near their cars. The fire overcame them. They got out of their vehicles and tried to flee and were knocked down by the flames, basically where they stood, often times two or three feet away from the vehicle.
At the county morgues, investigators worked with dental records, old X-rays, jewelry, even licenses found on nearby pets in an exhaustive effort to confirm the identities of the people who became trapped in flames.
"They're all carbonized, which means that they're well on their way to being cremated remains," said the chief medical examiner.
At least five victims were found with the remains of their dogs at their side. The chief medical examiner said he is keeping the animal remains with their owners.
â??The family usually feels very strongly about their pets, and I treat them the same way,â?? he said. â??They lived together and they died together.â??
Together we can heal...
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| Saturday, 1-Nov-2003 00:00 |
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SoCal Wildfires: This says it all...
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SoCal Wildfires: This says it all...
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For the full story of the dog, Cinder, the Cedar Park fire survivor, go here:
http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_294202826.html
then on the CBS2 Video column to the right of the page, click the link: Craig Feigner Near Lake Arrowhead With Dog Who Made It Through Fire.
Update: It was discovered later that day that Cinder had three pups in a neighbor's shed that was unscathed by the fires. The puppies have been named: Charcoal, Ashes and Phoenix.
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A touching note of Mahalo from a woman who lost her mountain home in the wildfires:
Dear Wonderful People,
Last night as I was searching all of the sites for information about the fire, I saw a news media picture of what appeared to be someone's rescued dog as it was joyfully licking the face of a kneeling, war weary fire fighter in the midst of all of this massive destruction.
All I was able to think was:
- Daily cost to fight the fires.....$2,000,000+
- Overall cost in physical damage.....$28,000,000,000+
- Gratitude from "All creatures great and small".....priceless.
This image is the closest I have been able to come to expressing the gratitude I feel to all of you emergency support personnel and die hard residents of our mountain who are giving your all and helping in every conceivable way possible.
May God truly bless and keep you all safe in His care.
From the bottom of my heart,
Penny Cooper
29794 Redwood Road (burnt)
Cedar Glen, CA
Posted at: http://homepage.mac.com/joeurbz/iblog/C129721765/index.html
Photo Credit: KCAL9
Latest news: http://kbhr933.com/newslocal.html
Weather Change Spares Forest Town: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bigbear1nov01235430,1,7273317.story?coll=la-home-headlines
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| Friday, 31-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Cautious Optimism - Pray for Running Springs,The Daffodil Garden
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Phoenixes Rising From the Ashes
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Jill's tip to visualize our "house in Big Bear as it is and as it will be still after the fires" is working: 28 degrees in Big Bear this morning. Scattered showers today. The weather forecast for tonight includes snow! This topsy-turvy weather pattern from extreme heat to winter cold is bizarre. I don't see any one complaining!
My mom in Hilo, Hawai`i called last night. She was happy and relieved when I told her the good news. We have shared such special times up in Big Bear, and memories of those times tumbled into my consciousness. I am so grateful to Big Bear and its healing energies... There is no place on Earth like it.
Last night, I went to bed, relieved that Big Bear Valley was not in imminent danger. Ours is a cautious optimism, as the description that the fire may be a sleeping giant that can still roar to life is sobering.
http://www.pe.com/sharedcontent/southwest/pecom/fireseason/
vt_stories/PE_NEWS_rich01.57ae7.html
Troubled that the firefighters could not get to fires still burning in Running Springs due to the thick pea soup fog, I visited a site that I had created last spring http://www.geocities.com/thedaffodilgarden/
and went to bed visualizing a safe and blooming Running Springs and its beautiful daffodils that bloomed -- like phoenixes from the ashes -- after the Willow Fire of 1999.
May these bright and cheery daffodils -- symbols of hope -- return again in 2004, as well those who have lost their homes to the wildfires of 2003.
Today, my heart goes out to those people, the family of Steve Rucker, the firefighter from Novato, and the other 19 people who lost their lives in the monstrous wildfires. I read last night that two women died with their dogs. These chilling words hit me hard: "He came upon a charred Toyota with a skeleton in the driver's seat and the bones of a dog nearby. . . " and "Peace, a former nurse, had gone to check on other neighbors, but her path apparently was cut off by flames. Trapped by the fire, she returned home and tried to survive by taking cover in her bathtub. Her remains, and those of her Chihuahua, were found there."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dead30oct30,1,4710436.story?coll=la-home-headlines
God bless the souls of Galen Blacklidge, 50, and her dog; Mary Peace, 54, and her Chihuahua, and their families and friends who now suffer from their losses.
I will keep all who are hurting in my prayers for a long, long time. Feel free to join me.
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| Thursday, 30-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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The healing rains have come. Picking lehua is working!
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The healing rains have come. Picking lehua is working!
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It is 9:00 AM in Southern California and it is raining. Miraculously raining! On Monday, four days ago, we had record Santa Ana heat -- in the 90s -- that fueled the catastrophic fires. Today, we awaken to a cool and overcast morning and now with rain!
Yesterday, as I worked, I struggled to maintain a calm, cool and collected professional demeanor. Inside, my heart was beating with trepidation. The reports of the fires headed toward Big Bear were forebodingly ominous.
Thank goodness, the people of Big Bear have been evacuated off the mountain. The wildlife, on the other hand, are on their own, fending for themselves. I kept thinking of the wildlife running up to the mountain ridges to flee the fires, only to be trapped by fire coming from another front. I thought of the dogs at the Mountain Dog Rescue Shelter and the animals that cannot be returned back to the wild at the Moonridge Animal Park. Have they been transported to a safe place? How do you move caged bears, buffalo, bald eagles? A monumental task.
Last night, emotionally beleaguered, I came home from work, checked my e-mail, and learned from a dear Maui friend, P, that he had checked the weather forecast map and saw raindrops over Southern California.
"Rains expected for Southern California? What? How can that be?" was my reaction. Apparently, along with gathered prayer, picking the red lehua is working!
Pick a lehua and it will surely rain! http://hwneye.fotopages.com/?entry=13376
My friend's forecast was confirmed with the following optimistic report at 8:45 pm last night:
"The federal government has allocated additional resources to Big Bear. There are around 2000 people arriving to battle this fire. The NUMBER ONE priority is keep the fire out of the Big Bear Valley. They described the arrival of federal help as: "The Cavalry has arrived!"
The plan of attack is to direct the advancing fire away from fuel sources and away from the Big Bear Valley. Tomorrow (October 30, 2003) will be a long and difficult day for everyone involved and so the advice was for everyone to rest tonight and prepare for the fight of a lifetime tomorrow.
As of 8:45 PM, 10/29/03, the best estimates is that the fire is around 3 to 4 miles west of the Big Bear dam and 6 miles west of Fawnskin. There are three fronts on the fire approaching Big Bear.The temps are dropping and the humidity has been on the rise with a moist marine layer pushing in. This should help contain the fire. In addition there is a chance of showers this weekend and the higher elevations could even see a light dusting of snow."
And now breaking news from Big Bear at 9:19 am: the 2000 firefighters up in Big Bear have been fed breakfast after sleeping overnight in shelters with cots, on tailgates, and on the ground. The fire crews have been just been deployed. They've been split into two groups -- one up on the North Shore and another at the South Shore. They are removing fuel, pretreating structures with fire-resistant gel, and bulldozing firebreaks. Mother Nature is giving them a hand with moisture. They are working hard to pinch this fire off at the dam. Their goal: they WILL NOT let the fire get past it.
Please keep up your prayers. May each and every one of you be blessed for helping. Keep visualizing a dome of protection over Big Bear Lake and its surrounding areas, its homes, its wildlife and the firefighters, brave souls, each one.
http://www.geocities.com/ntd2020/bigbearlake.htm
Mahalo in advance. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there..."
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| Wednesday, 29-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Visualize with Me
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Visualize a dome of protection over Big Bear homes & wildlife
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[b]The fires are moving a mile an hour in the direction of Big Bear...
Yesterday, my friend, Jill, wrote:
"I am working on picturing your house in Big Bear as it is and as it will be still after the fires. I don't know what it's called (though I'm sure you do) but my college roommate taught me that if you can picture something that you want and continue to do so, it will come true. I didn't believe her at the time but some years later when I was desperately wishing for something I considered almost impossible to occur in my life, I did it...night after night, over and over. I pictured it and it happened! I also became a believer."
I am taking Jill's sharing to heart and I dug up this photo of our house in winter. You are invited to visualize -- and pray -- with us, if you wish. Heartfelt thanks in advance.
The official fire information site: http://www.esri.com/jicfire/
Weblog: http://homepage.mac.com/joeurbz/iblog/C129721765/index.html
Webcam overlooking Big Bear Lake: http://www.bigbear.net/weather.html
Visualize a safe and protected Big Bear Lake: http://www.geocities.com/ntd2020/bigbearlake.htm[/b]
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| Tuesday, 28-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Images of the Southern California Fires on TV
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Smoldering Southern California Fires on TV
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From San Diego to Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles, TV images of the fires: Peter Jennings reporting from Crestline. Mountain communities -- Running Springs, Arrowbear, Lake Arrowhead are being evacuated. Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger comforting fire victims in San Bernardino. Governor-to-be Ah-nold visiting "The Valley," preparing to ask for federal funds. Gov. Gray Davis working to put people's lives back in order. Moonscapes. Survivors burying their cat's burnt remains, found in the smoking rubble. Houses on the edge of wilderness going up in flames. A check for $10K being handed by an insurance agent to get some folks through this. Hanging between heartbreak and resignation. Finding a wedding ring in the rubble. Kindnesses from strangers. 7000 firefighters on the job. Arizona sending assistance.
These were perfect conditions for a perfect firestorm: a five year drought; 90 degree temperatures, 10% humidity, 70+ mph helter-skelter Santa Ana winds. Last rain was in March -- 173 dry days ago.
And now for perfect conditions for the perfect snuffing out of the Southern California fires...
Aloha e Jill,
So far, our mountain cabin, Heaven, is not in imminent danger. But the fires are up to Crestline and as the eagle flies, that's not very far from Big Bear Lake. The dead trees in between make for terrific kindling.
No, we are not terribly worried (well, maybe just a little) and not stressed, other than our hearts going out to those who are suffering real losses, i.e., loss of life. In Hawai`i, we survived two major volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, and a major hurricane, learning early to pray and ask, then leave it all in God's Hands and His Plan.
Everything is on loan, anyway, and we're grateful for the time we've had "borrowing" all that bounty.
When we left Saturday night, we realized that our material attachments are few. We loaded up the car with irreplaceables: photo albums, photos, select books, and mementos, Christmas ornaments and handicrafts from friends and family (afghans made by my mother, a macrame plant hanger made by our favorite aunt, etc.), CDs and home videos. There was room for T's pots and pans and our mountain bikes. That's pretty much it.
We said goodby to the house, garden and trees, with our blessings, just in case...
Mahalo for your positive thoughts. This morning I symbolically "picked" a lehua blossom, and within minutes, the news reported that the devil winds are dying down. Not exactly the downpour I had hoped for, but less wind is a vast improvement from the last few days. http://hwneye.fotopages.com/?entry=13376
Hugs to you and Ron. With memories of the best clam spaghetti on Capri, we had the same for dinner in your honor!
Love,
D
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| Monday, 27-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Pua Lehua: Pick It and It Rains
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Let It Rain! E ua!
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In the corner of the island of Hawai`i that I grew up, the red lehua blooms profusely on the `ohi`a trees in the rainforests. It is nicknamed, "the rain flower," as when picked, it will surely rain. The rain itself is referred as the "fine lehua rain..." in a song sung by Keali`i Reichel called, Ka `Anoi Pua O Uka."
This is the Hawaiian legend of `Ohi`a and Lehua: "They were a young couple in love - until the fire goddess Pele, known for her hot temper, saw `Ohi`a and fell in love with him. She was hurt when she saw he loved Lehua, so hurt that she used her fire magic to kill them both. The gods were unhappy when they heard what she had done, and ordered her to change `Ohi`a and Lehua back into a form where they could be together forever. She transformed them into a tree (the `Ohi`a tree) and a brilliant red flower (the Lehua flower). The `ohi`a tree grows in old lava flows to this day. If you pick a lehua flower it will rain because `Ohi`a does not want to part with Lehua again." ~ La Pietra
Today, from my photo file, I 'pick' this red lehua, which was presciently gifted to me along with the pink pua melia (plumeria) blossom by two who are ever dear to me. And now I will wait for the rain that will cool off the hot spots and slow the progression of the Southern California fires. Maybe, even snuff the fires out altogether, God willing.
I pray for those who have suffered losses. The material losses are replaceable, but not the loss in life...  I pray for those battling the fires so valiantly.
E ua! Let it rain the drenching and beating kani lehua rain!
A closeup of a lehua blossom: http://www.holani.com/HawaiiFlowers2.htm
More on the lehua rain: http://www.deproverbio.com/DPjournal/DP,5,2,99/LUOMALA/HAWAIIAN.html
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| Sunday, 26-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Southern California Fires
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Deadly Southern California Fires
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Last night, driving back from our mountain cabin to the flatlands, we witnessed the ravages of the Southern California fires. As we drove down the San Bernardino Freeway, this fierce fire was beating a path toward the peaceful and long treasured mountain communities of Crestline and Lake Arrowhead.
My heart is heavy this morning as I view what we saw last night from the safety of our car. It reminded me of the lava flows of my homeland, Hawai`i. Awe-inspiring. Beautiful. But this conflagration is much sadder than anything that I have witnessed, as these fires were intentionally set by arsonists.
These are eco-terroristic acts of misguided humans against nature and their fellow Earth occupants, humans and animals, alike. Two young men are suspects.
The news reports that besides humans like us, fleeing the fire, are countless wildlife, including bears, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, mountain lions, raccoons, badgers, rabbits, birds and deer. Remember that fire scene in BAMBI? The panic? The terror? The suffering?
In the wake of all of this drama are the destroyed homes, broken dreams, wounded spirits, and wrecked communities. Dear God, please help those who seek Your Comfort this day. I pray, too, for the animals... Feel welcome to join me.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/wildfire-deer.jpg
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| Saturday, 25-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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Smoke Clouds on the Horizon
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Smoke Clouds on the Horizon
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We were having a chirashi lunch at Sushi Ichiban with Denise and Fred when Abe-San told us about the fires down the hill. I could hear the concern in his voice.
We saw the smoke clouds on the horizon. Fred noted the appearance of the clouds. A good sign. The winds weren't blowing hard if the clouds were billowy.
Driving over to the northside of the lake, I kept my eye on the clouds, visible toward the dam. The clouds were no longer billowy. Those 'devil winds', those hot and dry Santa Anas, must have picked up, dispersing the smoke clouds and whipping up the flames...
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| Saturday, 18-Oct-2003 00:00 |
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SoCal `Ukulele Festival
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Yours truly opening the festival with a blessing and a chant
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Helene looks on...
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as does Susan, founder of the fest & tireless chief organizer.
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2nd Annual Southern California `Ukulele Festival Web Site:
http://www.ukulelefestival.org/
Hawaiian Language Workshop:
http://www.geocities.com/~olelo/workshop.htm
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"SUN" will shine
