Response to the Fires

I've been catching up on some of my favorite SoCal blogs this week, and several have posted harrowing accounts of their experience with the fires.

Erin Kotecki Vest (known as the Queen of Spain, 'cuz she resides in Valencia), not only posted her fire and evacuation experience, she's been Twittering it. Read all about it here.

McSwain, a mom and teacher in Canyon Country, did not have to evacuate, but had students who did. She and her family are still feeling jittery.

My friend Karie, posted some photos taken from her Stevenson Ranch home while the "Magic" fire was raging. And the ever-eloquent and talented photographer Karoli has also posted photos. Do read her post on why this California disaster bears very little resemblance to Hurricane Katrina.

There are lots more accounts all over the web -- there's a nice rundown of some of them on BlogHer.

One of the few positive consequences of a disaster like the one that Southern California has suffered this week is that it prompts people to reach out to one another to help.

In the early '90's, my husband and I lived in a garden-style apartment building in Studio City. I went to work each morning, came back each evening, and rarely saw the neighbors.

That changed briefly the morning of January 17, 1994, when we were all rudely awakened at the impossible hour of 4:30 a.m. by the Northridge earthquake. Once we realized that the building was NOT going to fall in on us -- YET -- we scurried out to the courtyard to wait for the sun to rise (the quake had knocked the power out).

Everyone in the building had done the same thing. We embraced one another (even those of us whose entire acquaintance consisted of a nod at the mailbox) and patted ourselves on the back that we were all OK. One neighbor had been prescient enough to run out of the house with a battery operated radio, so we were able to learn the epicenter and magnitude of the quake (although the extent of the damage was not apparent until many hours after the sun finally came up).

One of our neighbors had a cell phone, which he passed around to the rest of us so we could call our family and friends on the East Coast (and in our case, in the UK) to let them know we were OK.

(I know it's hard to believe now, but these were not yet ubiquitous in 1994. The landline phone system was jammed and we couldn't get a call out, so the cell was the only thing that worked. In today's disasters, it's the other way around, which is why I refuse to get rid of our landline, even though we rarely use it any longer.)

After the sun rose and we all felt safe enough to go back into our apartments, we helped one another with the cleanup.

I'd like to say that we all became lifelong friends after that experience, but that didn't happen. The only thing most of us had in common was the shared experience of recovering from the terror of the quake, and after we got our lives and homes back in order, we reverted back to our old ways (only now, a smile and a "hello" accompanied the nod at the mailbox).

On a larger scale, I've been struck by how the human devastation caused by disasters touches strangers from afar. Hurricane Katrina was the event that really crystallized this observation for me. I will never forget the dedication of bloggers like Grace Davis and Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann, who created blog-driven efforts to match folks willing to help with charities and individuals who needed it. Another blogger I admire, Liz Henry, was one of many people who traveled halfway across the country to give direct assistance to evacuees.

Ordinary people are able to donate time, goods and money. Even large corporations get into the act, largely through their charitable foundations -- and they are able to give on a larger scale. The relief fund the American Red Cross has set up for this disaster has received some enormous corporate donations: $2 million each from the Hewlett-Packard foundation and Toyota; $1 million from Wal-Mart and Bank of America, $250,000 from Honda.

Our two largest American car companies are also contributing to the relief effort.

Both the General Motors Foundation and the Ford Motor Company have each given the Red Cross $100,000, plus the use of vehicles like Expeditions and Hummers to assist in rescue efforts. GM has also instituted an employee-match program for donations to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Direct assistance to Southern Californians living in the affected areas includes auto payment forgiveness programs from both companies. If you own a Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda or Volvo or have a car loan through PRIMUS financial services, click here for more information on how to register for the extended payment program.

If your car loan is through GMAC Auto Financing and need a payment extension due to the fires, please call 800-200-4622.  GMAC is also in the insurance and mortgage businesses, and will work with customers to assist them with their fire-related needs. Insurance customers should call them at 800-468-3466. The number for GMAC Mortgage is 800-468-3466.

GM is also offering direct assistance to their customers who have been affected by the wildfires. They have set up a special OnStar service called CrisisAssist, which is free to all customers in the affected areas, regardless of their subscription terms. OnStar customers can get routing assistance, Red Cross shelter information, help with hotel reservations and even connections with family and friends so they can let them know they are OK. 

Finally: the fires have left a lot of gunk in our air; the San Fernando Valley today looks like it does in smoggy mid-August, even though our temperature is only in the mid-70's -- all the haze is from the fires, and it has got to be worse in the counties where large fires are still raging. If you own a GM car and live in SoCal, you may be eligible to get your air filter replaced for free. Just stop by your local dealership.

Comments

[Lorna]

It's hard to imagine the details of this kind of disaster when the worst you've ever encountered, and it was bad, was an ice storm 12 years ago.

[DAisy]

Thanks for the links. This is a disaster of huge proportions; I wish the best of luck for all in the danger area.

[Beth B]

It is interesting being in the blogosphere that when there are disasters you worry about people you know from reading their blogs. I came over to your blog to see how you were and see how your socal friends are doing. Thanks for providing the links and well wishes to those who are impacted by the fires.