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Topic: Cal Orey, are you OK?
| Author | Message |
| worm | Posted – 6/27/2007 8:11:15 AM | show profile Cal--I think I remember you saying you lived near Lake Tahoe. Are you and your animals OK? Is the fire anywhere near you? |
| Nikongirl | Posted – 6/27/2007 8:43:44 AM | show profile I heard from her yesterday, she was okay but getting things in order just in case. The fire jumped the line yesterday after I heard from her..... It might be better to email her directly. |
| worm | Posted – 6/27/2007 9:18:33 AM | show profile Thanks, Nikongirl. I don't really know her, just from this BB. But she's a member of this writing community, so I worried. If you speak with her again, please let her know that we wish her well. |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 6/27/2007 11:33:49 AM | show profile I've been thinking about her all week. Thanks so much for posting! |
| Nikongirl | Posted – 6/27/2007 11:52:13 AM | show profile You're welcome... I am concerned as the situation has changed dramatically since I heard from her yesterday. I just sent her another email to let her know people on MB are worried about her. I'll let you know if I hear back. |
| catlondon | Posted – 6/27/2007 12:28:29 PM | show profile I also would like to add my best wishes for her safety! She seems to be a spiritual person, so I hope knowing that people are putting positive energy out there for her, her neighbors and those extremely brave firefighters will help! |
| seeattleme | Posted – 6/27/2007 5:36:06 PM | show profile so far I don't think they've reported anyone being killed in this fire, which is huge. Amazing. |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 6/27/2007 8:33:22 PM | show profile Yesterday, a couple of firefighters had to dive under their turkey tents during a flareup. That's about it so far for close calls. We're wise with wildfire out here, especially in the mountains. The flatlanders, not so much. We have a lot more fires than people back East realize. A fire three times the size of the Angora Fire is burning right know in Kern County, with homes lost and 1,400 firefighters thrown at it. There has been another big fire this week in western South Dakota. It's going to be a very bad fire year, because winter was so dry. |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 7/2/2007 6:44:40 PM | show profile Fire update: The fire is now fully contained, with full control expected July 10. |
| scribechick | Posted – 7/2/2007 7:35:36 PM | show profile Cal Survived the Tahoe Fire...Bouncing Back S-l-o-w-l-y Dear Fellow Writers, The entire event from July 24th has been super surreal. On Wednesday afternoon when I took my two Brittanys outside I noticed the air was hazy. It didn't feel like a thunderstorm (I can sense those). I saw and felt black ash falling from the sky, and the smell was beginning to get strong. Too strong. The wildfire had spread and was out of control. I reside about 7 miles from Ground Zero; 2 - 5 miles from the mandatory evacuation regions. Within an hour the sound of helicopters, sirens were amid me. Mushroom clouds and smoke from the fire were in the background from my neighborhood; automated evacuation calls every 15 minutes and the threat of the fire was creeping closer and closer; heavy smoke was making me sick; reports of car accidents, and chaos; the pet store phone line was jammed--everyone, like me, was trying to get a crate for their cat. Neighbors were hosing down their rooftops and some folks were walking down our street; they carried cell phones and were worried, trying to decide to evacuate or not. Highways 89 and 50 were closed. The police was flooded with calls; the Fire Dept. did not answer. There is only one other road out of town. I decided to flee rather than be stuck in a nightmarish situation of gridlock or forced evacuation. I grabbed my cat, two dogs, a pile of clothes, laptop, and reluctant brother who was in denial and we headed out to Reno--for peace of mind and health's sake. Thus, I sat in a hotel room for three days. I was watching my town under fire on TV and the Internet. It was scary. It was sad. I couldn't believe it was really happening. But it was. The end result: It was declared a National Disaster. It made cnn, msnbc, TV around the world. More than 3000 people are displaced; 250+ homes destroyed. My neighbor (who stayed but was ready to leave if it got worse due to the potential forecasted winds) rescued my new computer/printer and two goldfish Romeo and Juliet. Ironically, the fish I've had for five years did not survive the ordeal. Here is my letter published in the Tahoe Tribune. Insane holiday bash 8:44 a.m. Friday, June 29 As I go to the Reno Gazette for updates, I realize I?m getting the heartbreaking stories about locals who have lost their homes and their lives as they once knew it. Also, the weather reports from the National Weather Service say we are not out of harm?s way. Then, I bounce back to the Tribune and think of the governor pushing Fourth of July festivities as well as Stateline going for the buck. This is upsetting. This is wrong. This is absurd. I sit here in a hotel room in Reno, getting ready to come back home, but I sense another disaster may be in the works. Why can?t tourists stay home and send funds to our people in need, rather than come up here to party while we?re still not out of the woods? Soaring temperatures, potential high winds, thunderstorms and illegal fireworks spell disaster. A holiday bash is insane and insensitive. I feel we?re setting ourselves up for a Jaws film sequel. Cal Orey Reno, Nev. Returned home which is fine with only bits of ash on the ground, but still dealing with the aftermath. It was a grueling and unforgettable experience. Still grieving for locals who lost their homes, pets, and possessions. And fire season has just begun. Plus, while I chose to flee, I was challenged with a mixed bag of new stressors. Five hundred dollars for lodging. Worse, three vet visits: My one year old pup ate my brother's ear plugs (and a plastic wrapped muffin I threw at my sibling who wanted to return ASAP to sell timeshare by the Lake). My four year old Brittany's foot pads were abraded due to the different terrain, heat, wet grass. Today, his nose is swollen, bit by some bug, we think. Another vet visit. On antibiotics and a wait-and-see. And my cat Kerouac, well, he was less stressed than all of us. Go figure. Cats do not like novelty. Thanks so much for caring. Funny, I have been working on a new book SuperSensitives: Can You Sense Danger?...Yeah, I guess I can. Earlier I was sending out queries about sensing danger and mentioned "firestorm." Immediately after, I got eerie flashbacks of the East Bay Oakland Fire I covered back in 1991. (It was worse; 25 people died; 3000 homes were lost.) Then, a wildfirefire hit my hometown. And I will never forget it. Thanks so much for caring. www.calorey.com |
| scribechick | Posted – 7/2/2007 7:44:53 PM | show profile P.S. I posted this on mediabistro two days before I left South Lake Tahoe... Topic: Super Sensitive? Sensed Danger Before it Hit? Post Reply Back to Forums 1?1 out of 1 messageAuthor Message scribechick Posted ? 6/24/2007 1:45:49 PM | show profile If you have ever sensed danger (without a news forecast and with your own sixth sense or pets' sensitivity) linked to Mother Nature (i.e. firestorm, blizzard, flood, hurricane, tornado, etc.) before it happened and have the details of your anecdote -- e-mail me. If I use it in SuperSensitives book, a comp copy will be yours. Include city, state, name (last is optional as well as age and title but helps to make you a real person). More recent is best, but not required. COrey39184@aol.com |
| scribechick | Posted – 7/9/2007 4:42:24 PM | show profile Sense Any Type of Danger Before It Hit? Yes, I'm back at work on the book. Wondering if any of you have had something similar happen to you as I did. Sent this query out on the day the Angora Tahoe fire began. Have you ever sensed any type of event, whether it was a dream, image, or just a hunch? A terrorist attack, hurricane, tornado, or? Please e-mail me at COrey39184@aol.com Thanks in advance. |
