This photo was taken by my sis, who works on the 23rd floor of a Sacramento office building. Taken earlier in the week. The other photo was taken by hubs as we were traveling west on Interstate 80, heading home after his eye appointment.
Though 'sheltering in place' can be a drag, we at least live in a self-contained little village of a building, with access to a library, gym, indoor pool, convenience store and numerous lobby areas and nooks to hang out in and watch the world go by. Such areas come in handy when I must flee the apartment for awhile.
As bad as the air quality is here (marked hazardous) it is twice as bad in the town of Chico where my nephew and his family live. Why they don't leave is beyond me. I hope they are keeping the little ones inside.
I had my groceries delivered yesterday. I pay a small fee for that, but it is totally worth it. Much better than ending up on steroids or in the hospital with breathing problems.
The Camp Fire is about 50 percent contained as of today, but over 600 people are missing, and 60 or so confirmed dead at this point. It is the worst fire disaster in state history. Evacuees are camping out in a Walmart parking lot in the neighboring town of Chico. I watched a tv news broadcast, and none of the people pictured were wearing face masks. None. That is insane. And it was reported that no federal help had shown up as of yesterday. How can this be? Where is FEMA with trailers for people to move into it? Authorities will be clearing the parking lot on Sunday because it may rain soon (please please) and the living conditions will become even more hazardous than they currently are. There is also next to no places for these people to go. Occupancy rates are high on local home rentals, and even if there were abundant homes to rent, who has money at this point?
I've made donations to the North Valley Foundation Relief fund, and to a couple of GoFundMe accounts for artists who were burned out of their homes in the town of Paradise, which is for all purposes, wiped off the map. At this point, I can do no more. It is a hopeless and helpless feeling. I cry at the thought of what these people must be going through. This life is terribly unfair and painful at times. No wonder I am irritable. I am shaking my proverbial fist at the heavens.
Time to find some uplifting entertainment on Netflix or Amazon.
Hope you are well, dear Reader, and will have a lovely weekend.
As you said, no wonder you are irritable and angry. These years of fires are taking away so much that we took for granted. We are all vulnerable now. Hard to imagine Paradise burned beyond recognition. Thank you for the quote.
ReplyDeleteSince I've moved to the Sacramento area 7 years ago, the number of fires is astounding. Remembering the fires that destroyed parts of Sonoma and Napa Counties recently. This is the worst yet, and I fear that next year will be even worse. There is much to be done, politically and ecologically, in our state to try to cope with this new normal.
DeleteIt's the non-stop thing about the poor air that is so irritating. If only it would lift for even a few minutes it would improve your life. Love the quote,
ReplyDeleteyes, even a brief reprieve would be great. My lungs are now suffering, even though I've taken all precautions. A neighbor of mine is on steroids for her lungs. Yes, that quote really speaks to me. We have all endured so much, haven't we? The health challenges (for you, for me), as I like to call them, are vivid examples of endurance.
DeleteIt's hard to even imagine how horrible the conditions must be around Paradise and Chico. I look at the photos of San Francisco and Sacramento and my heart breaks. Soon the air will clear, but the pain of these past few weeks will linger. The death toll grows, as does the number of the missing. The tragedy continues to unfold. I've been thinking of you and hoping for the best there. It's a good thing you are living in your self-contained village. Such a good move that was. Take care. Stay well.
ReplyDeleteI worry about the long-term ill effects of people breathing this air for so long. It's alarming the number of people I see without mask/respirator protection.
DeleteYes, who could have guessed that our move would benefit us in so very many ways? Damn good luck.