Flames and tears

San Diego is on fire. I'm sure that most of you know this, but considering how crazy things are here, I decided to blog about it anyway. Wildfires are scary, especially when you live in Southern California and the Santa Ana's decide to come your way. Just a couple of days ago Todd was mentioning to me that the hot, gusty winds would be back, but I took it as more of a bit of casual information than a prelude to a catastrophe. But, here we are. My home (not my house) is burning, and I'm at work staring out of my 19th story window overlooking a city covered in smoke. This isn't a new experience for me. In fact, it happened once before during my time here in San Diego. Last time, I was a freshman in college - still new to school and adjusting to being on my own. The morning of the fires, my college roommate Brooke, my best friend Hannah and I all woke up to a red sky and a dorm room full of ash. This time, the clouds rolled in more slowly. This time, we didn't wake up to Hell on Earth... we watched it unfold. My family and I are extremely lucky to be out of harms way. Last time, they were forced to evacuate, with the fire quickly approaching from about a mile away. And, even though I no longer live in Poway and some other family had to flee my old house, the place I grew up is covered in flames. It's sad and scary and surreal all at once. Yesterday, so much was happening and so many people were being evacuated that work was closed. When you work in PR, "closed" means you still need to get your stuff done, so after about 4 hours in the office, I headed home. Todd was also off from work because he works in Rancho Bernardo - a part of North County that was the most intensely affected. After watching the news and hearing a call for volunteers, we headed over to Qualcomm Stadium, which was being used as an evacuation center for some 10,000 "homeless" San Diegans. It was so heartbreaking to see so many people there, waiting to find out if there homes would be okay. But more than that, it was incredibly touching to see all of the people who had given up their time to help. Todd and I found ourselves among these people, first moving food supplies and then setting up tents around the stadium for the long night ahead. The most moving part of the night though, was when we found our way to the medical section of the Q. Todd and I spent most of our night there, helping the elderly folks who had been evacuated from their nursing homes. Nursing homes have always given me such mixed emotions, as visiting the people who live there is overwhelmingly rewarding and depressing at the same time. Despite that, we spent our time there, getting to know the people and their stories and just making them feel a little bit at home. And, while I may have only helped a few, I feel proud to have done my part. The people here are as much fighters as they are givers, and because of this I know San Diego will be okay. It's almost 5:30, and that means I'm off work. My plans for the night? I'm going to go do a rain dance. We sure do need it.