In light of the recent explosion and fire that rocked my childhood neighborhood, it has really made me think about having a plan. A fear washes over me at the thought of having to get 3 small children out of the house in mere moments. Especially if I have to do it alone.
A plan...I can recall for years growing up, my mom always had a plan. The items she would grab if time permitted. Those belongings that are essentially, "irreplaceable." Items that hold no monetary value, but personal value. It is unreal that on Thursday, September 9th, 2010, at 6:15pm, my mom had to put her plan in action. First, the rumbling that made her think it was a huge earthquake, to the deafening roar that sounded like a 747 was coming down on the neighborhood. The moments where she barely heard my dad yell "HOLY SHIT!!!" from their driveway. His voice resonating with the highest levels of panic. In the next moment, she made it to my dad's side and took one look at the enormous fireball, erupting just over the line of houses at the end of their block. She took a few moments to ponder what was taking place before her eyes, then turned around and threw the dog into the car, ran back into the house and began executing her plan...
Photo albums and photos off the walls were the first items she grabbed. Then onto the jewelry. From there she moved on to the office. See, mom runs the accounting department for my brothers business out of her home. She began ripping cords out of the back of the hard drive, grabbing important files, checks and the back up drive. She managed to pack a small bag of clothing and dog food. Her and my dad threw all these belongings into the back of her mid-size SUV. At this point they were still really unaware of what had happened. The canyon just behind their neighborhood is full of eucalyptus trees and for those of you who don't know, eucalyptus trees are highly flammable and are known to explode. If the canyon were ever to catch fire...bye bye neighborhood.
Fortunately the canyon had not caught fire. Unfortunately, a PG&E natural gas line ruptured and exploded in the Glenview neighborhood on the other side of the canyon. 37 homes were completely destroyed, 8 homes had severe damage, many people were injured and 7 lives were lost. Due to the close proximity of my parents neighborhood and the Glenview neighborhood to the canyon, about 30-45 minutes after the explosion, the fire department was knocking on my parents door instructing them to evacuate. They arrived safely at my house around 8pm.
Aside from some rattled nerves, my parents and their house are fine. As for my plan, the only things irreplaceable in my house are my husband, my children, my photos (which are all on my computer) and my grandmother's wedding ring. Everything else can burn...
A plan...I can recall for years growing up, my mom always had a plan. The items she would grab if time permitted. Those belongings that are essentially, "irreplaceable." Items that hold no monetary value, but personal value. It is unreal that on Thursday, September 9th, 2010, at 6:15pm, my mom had to put her plan in action. First, the rumbling that made her think it was a huge earthquake, to the deafening roar that sounded like a 747 was coming down on the neighborhood. The moments where she barely heard my dad yell "HOLY SHIT!!!" from their driveway. His voice resonating with the highest levels of panic. In the next moment, she made it to my dad's side and took one look at the enormous fireball, erupting just over the line of houses at the end of their block. She took a few moments to ponder what was taking place before her eyes, then turned around and threw the dog into the car, ran back into the house and began executing her plan...
Photo albums and photos off the walls were the first items she grabbed. Then onto the jewelry. From there she moved on to the office. See, mom runs the accounting department for my brothers business out of her home. She began ripping cords out of the back of the hard drive, grabbing important files, checks and the back up drive. She managed to pack a small bag of clothing and dog food. Her and my dad threw all these belongings into the back of her mid-size SUV. At this point they were still really unaware of what had happened. The canyon just behind their neighborhood is full of eucalyptus trees and for those of you who don't know, eucalyptus trees are highly flammable and are known to explode. If the canyon were ever to catch fire...bye bye neighborhood.
Fortunately the canyon had not caught fire. Unfortunately, a PG&E natural gas line ruptured and exploded in the Glenview neighborhood on the other side of the canyon. 37 homes were completely destroyed, 8 homes had severe damage, many people were injured and 7 lives were lost. Due to the close proximity of my parents neighborhood and the Glenview neighborhood to the canyon, about 30-45 minutes after the explosion, the fire department was knocking on my parents door instructing them to evacuate. They arrived safely at my house around 8pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment