2007.10.23
The wildfires have lasted in San Diego for 3 days, since last Sunday. About 513,000 in San Diego county have been ordered or suggested to leave.
Google Map of Fire Incidents
UCSD campus will be closed for the rest of the week. We, living near UCSD, are safe for now. Many of us students have been carefully watching TV, listening to radio, doing simple packing, and getting prepared for any possible immediate evacuation order in future. Some of our friends have evacuated, who live in Carmel Valley, 6 miles north of our home.This afternoon, we decided to do something more active to get more involved and see what we can do for the people who are suffering.
Google Map of my home and the Shelter
We set out from home @ UCSD Mesa Housing at 3:00pm, heading for the shelter center nearest to UCSD –Del Mar Fairgrounds, where families and pets are welcome. With the concern in I-5 traffic in mind, we had decided to drive on local roads, but then headed onto I-5 unconsciously. We were a bit surprised to notice the few traffic on the highway, about 1/6 traffic level as usual at the same time. As we drove north, we saw some smokes in mountains not very far.
We arrived at the Del Mar FairGround at 3:15pm. There are two evacuation shelters in Del Mar FairGround, one specifically for horses, the other for people. We were directed to the latter by some soldier. There is a huge parking lot with sparse cars there, which we took as a good sign. Early today, the Authorities announced that Del Mar Heights is safe and people with their homes there can return safely. A women, who evacuated here, drove her large truck, with about 5 cats in cages and 3 dogs fastened. She is taking care of these pets with mask on. She directed us to the inner part of the shelter center.
We drove inside, and there are many cars, Ambulance, Emergency, UVs and etc. Volunteers are helping everywhere, directing cars and people, helping with the patients, helping donators moving food/water and distributing them to the sufferers. There are two main locations for evacuators. One for elderly patients, the other for others. In the hall for elderly patients, medical people, nurses, and qualified volunteers are helping to facilitate elders moving to other safe hospitals for care and treatment. Some elders are being diagnosed by doctors just inside ambulance. Another hall (Mission Tower) is full of piles of water/food/blanket/clothes outside, which are donated by people around San Diego. For a short period of 5 minutes, there are about 10 vehicles coming for donation.
Inside the Mission Tower hall, tables, tent beds, blankets, sleep bags are seen everywhere. The whole place is not a mess at all, but rather organized and regulated. Elders sit around, chatting with each other, or taking care of their pets. Young people are apparently digging more funs. Some are napping on the tent beds. People showed great comfort and peace in their face, which are highly wished also in their minds.
A male elder have been in the shelter for 2 days. He has some burns in his left elbow, lying on a tent bed and watching TV broadcasting the CA Governor Schwarzenegger’s speech. He said that the food/water supply is ample. A female elder came to the shelter yesterday morning by her own, having had expected only to stay for 2 hours. She had a cat with her and fed the cat with water. A family of four people from Carmel Valley arrived at the shelter yesterday, and the guy is working on his laptop. Many volunteers are from SGI_USA Youth Division.
Some national and local TV stations came to Del Mar Fairgrounds, including the Weather Channel, ABC 7, ABC 18 and so on (I had wished to see CNN, especially 360, but not there. I believe you guys are in more dangerous places now. So Take the very best care of all yourselves!!) The Weather Channel photographer said that they flew to Los Angeles on 10/22 and then drove to San Diego through I-5, with the traffic perceived "so-so".
During our visit and voluntary help there, we saw the peace in eveybody's face. We also saw the care and faith in everybody's face. We believe we will get through this event and we will all be safe finally.
The wildfires have lasted in San Diego for 3 days, since last Sunday. About 513,000 in San Diego county have been ordered or suggested to leave.
Google Map of Fire Incidents
UCSD campus will be closed for the rest of the week. We, living near UCSD, are safe for now. Many of us students have been carefully watching TV, listening to radio, doing simple packing, and getting prepared for any possible immediate evacuation order in future. Some of our friends have evacuated, who live in Carmel Valley, 6 miles north of our home.This afternoon, we decided to do something more active to get more involved and see what we can do for the people who are suffering.
Google Map of my home and the Shelter
We set out from home @ UCSD Mesa Housing at 3:00pm, heading for the shelter center nearest to UCSD –Del Mar Fairgrounds, where families and pets are welcome. With the concern in I-5 traffic in mind, we had decided to drive on local roads, but then headed onto I-5 unconsciously. We were a bit surprised to notice the few traffic on the highway, about 1/6 traffic level as usual at the same time. As we drove north, we saw some smokes in mountains not very far.
We arrived at the Del Mar FairGround at 3:15pm. There are two evacuation shelters in Del Mar FairGround, one specifically for horses, the other for people. We were directed to the latter by some soldier. There is a huge parking lot with sparse cars there, which we took as a good sign. Early today, the Authorities announced that Del Mar Heights is safe and people with their homes there can return safely. A women, who evacuated here, drove her large truck, with about 5 cats in cages and 3 dogs fastened. She is taking care of these pets with mask on. She directed us to the inner part of the shelter center.
We drove inside, and there are many cars, Ambulance, Emergency, UVs and etc. Volunteers are helping everywhere, directing cars and people, helping with the patients, helping donators moving food/water and distributing them to the sufferers. There are two main locations for evacuators. One for elderly patients, the other for others. In the hall for elderly patients, medical people, nurses, and qualified volunteers are helping to facilitate elders moving to other safe hospitals for care and treatment. Some elders are being diagnosed by doctors just inside ambulance. Another hall (Mission Tower) is full of piles of water/food/blanket/clothes outside, which are donated by people around San Diego. For a short period of 5 minutes, there are about 10 vehicles coming for donation.
Inside the Mission Tower hall, tables, tent beds, blankets, sleep bags are seen everywhere. The whole place is not a mess at all, but rather organized and regulated. Elders sit around, chatting with each other, or taking care of their pets. Young people are apparently digging more funs. Some are napping on the tent beds. People showed great comfort and peace in their face, which are highly wished also in their minds.
A male elder have been in the shelter for 2 days. He has some burns in his left elbow, lying on a tent bed and watching TV broadcasting the CA Governor Schwarzenegger’s speech. He said that the food/water supply is ample. A female elder came to the shelter yesterday morning by her own, having had expected only to stay for 2 hours. She had a cat with her and fed the cat with water. A family of four people from Carmel Valley arrived at the shelter yesterday, and the guy is working on his laptop. Many volunteers are from SGI_USA Youth Division.
Some national and local TV stations came to Del Mar Fairgrounds, including the Weather Channel, ABC 7, ABC 18 and so on (I had wished to see CNN, especially 360, but not there. I believe you guys are in more dangerous places now. So Take the very best care of all yourselves!!) The Weather Channel photographer said that they flew to Los Angeles on 10/22 and then drove to San Diego through I-5, with the traffic perceived "so-so".
During our visit and voluntary help there, we saw the peace in eveybody's face. We also saw the care and faith in everybody's face. We believe we will get through this event and we will all be safe finally.
Salute the Firefighters,
who are working directly against the fire,
for their sacrifice and courage!!
Salute the news reporters,
who are letting the world know what are going on here,
for their professional coverage and courage!!
Salute the evacuators,
who suffered the loss or the possibility of homes destroyed,
for their obeying evacuation order and courage!!
Bless every single body,
who has faith, belief and courage
a safe, peaceful everyday!!
WE ARE ALWAYS TOGETHER
1 comments:
It's a rare experience to go among San Diegans temporarily or permanently parted with their residences and homes due to the wildfires. I learned a lot from this report, and knew how the people felt and what they did getting through this disaster. Thanks! :P
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