Remember how August was a terrible, no good, very bad month? September is only half over, and it is a strong contender in our seemingly inevitable march towards the apocalypse.
I live in the Clackamas County area of Portland suburbs, and we've had a far-too-interesting last two weeks. Historic dry winds hit the area, which grounded power lines and left many without electricity. For us, we had flickering power with a few major outages starting on September 6th. Debris littered the yard and the smell of smoke came and went. There were some vegetation, commercial, and home fires in our vicinity that caused anxiety but were contained without evacuations.
Larger fires sparked or accelerated across the state, forming what looked like a vertical string of chaos up the entire west coast. Oregon uses a ready (level 1), set (level 2), go (level 3) fire safety framework, and large swathes of our county immediately jumped into level 3 mandatory evacuation as the Riverside Fire swept towards Estacada and Molalla. The entire county was put on alert at level 1. Many people left their homes and some lost everything.
The sky turned a menacing orange-brown. We packed bags that sat at our front door for 4 nights before the threat level was downgraded. We count ourselves incredibly lucky that we did not have to evacuate, and that we had multiple households reach out and offer us a place to stay if the need arose.
While fire is still very much present, the weather is now a cooperative force. I do not think we are out of the woods yet - Thursday promises thunder storms and I've found that this year exceeds pessimistic expectations when given the chance. I've not had the capacity to keep up with the other fires farther from home; Riverside, and Beachie Creek are the ones I've prioritized my brain power on, but I know there are smaller ones in our County and a whole host of other situations across the state and into our neighboring ones as well.
Then there is the "fake news" of polarized groups blaming the fires on one another while very real Oregonians patrol neighborhoods, some armed. The misinformation and blame proliferating in the uncertainty seems like it may accrue a body count of its own if allowed to flourish. I don't want to tackle that, because I don't know how to do so intelligently. I will say that I have seen my community around me rally in amazing ways. The added complication of COVID has not stopped folks from volunteering, donating, and organizing.
The new "slow burn" issue is persistently hazardous air conditions that continue to blanket the area. Visibility is low, particulate matter is high. I wake up with a sore throat and headache and it pretty much stays with me the entire day. In the earlier days I was prone to violent sneezes and a few nosebleeds, which thankfully now seem to be resolved. The dogs (and us humans) only go out to do necessary doggy business, and then it's back in the house. Our AQI has hovered in the 400s to 500 range, with today offering the first promise of low 300s.
Fire threat has become no longer a surprise. The details and onset may catch me offguard, but the fact of it and its attendant devastation and displacement is unfortunately becoming an annual/seasonal routine. My parents have faced mandatory evacuation two years in a row now. In fact, the Wallbridge Fire that most recently threatened my hometown flared up with this recent weather event as well.
The fire that broke me? Tubbs 2017. The charred remains of my elementary school. My former art teacher sheltering in a backyard pool while everything burned around her. The mobile home park that was obliterated with some of its residents still trapped inside. I knew many people who lost businesses and homes. It was nearly impossible to do or think or manage anything other than the fire and its continued threat, and I was hundreds of miles away and completely powerless. I can conjure feelings about that fire even now, while facing another.
Many people relocated; one article put it at 500,000+ Oregonians forced to evacuate. I know many who temporarily went to stay with friends or family. Evacuations centers have been lively, although I don't know the details. I know people have taken measures to protect themselves from COVID-19, but I also know that immediate threat outweighs the risk of disease in situations like this. Yesterday's state report included news that the air quality itself was hampering the lab from processing tests. What are the longer term ramifications of these fires? Then there's climate change and its role in all this..
Writ small again.. our dog also ruptured a key ligament in her left rear knee right as this all hit, so we've been trying our best to care for her in this too while we organize her $4000+ surgery.
It's been a real shit sandwich of a year, hasn't it?
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