Fire Drill…Literally

Yesterday for the first time in a long time, I decided to do yoga. The past few days, I have had a nasty stomach somethin-somethin. That combined with my recent post about my (lack of) control issues prompted me to think that some stretching and deep breathing would help me feel a little more balanced. My inclination was right on. Walking out of the class with a Yoga buzz felt awfully nice.

Feeling all Zenny on my drive home, I looked up at the beautiful and beloved mountains and low and behold saw plumes of smoke rising from them. I thought, “No, it couldn’t be.” (You know how I’ve always said that denial is a healthy coping mechanism, right? Case in point!) Then, I turned the corner and saw FLAMES on the mountain. “No! F-bomb. No! F-bomb. No!” I yelled out loud.

I immediately pulled to the side of the road and called 9-1-1 and the dispatcher said, “Are you calling about the fire?” Yes, I said shakily. “We’re on it,” he said and then promptly hung up.

The thing about fires (that I learned early on from the locals) is that they are the most terrifying of all natural disasters that happen here. No, it’s not the fear of earthquakes. It’s the fires that evoke fear because they happen fast and furiously. Catastrophe can be instantaneous…though so can hurricanes as we all have learned in the last week…

Because we have been evacuated once and put on alert for evacuation two subsequent times, I know how to evacuate our family, i.e., what to take, how to prioritize, and how to execute. When this happens, I become slightly militaristic because time is always of the essence. So despite the agitation (and chin full of anxiety induced zits!), I went into high alert mode which enables me to multitask and function effectively and efficiently.

There were (of course!) lots of Silver Linings of the day:

1. The fire was exterminated!!!!  Woooo Hooo!
2. Nooooooooo wind. Wind is to fire like Laverne is to Shirley. In other words, wind is a fire’s best friend.
3. An extraordinary first responder team that included a tanker and at least 5 helicopters (that refueled across the street from a girlfriend’s house).
4. The guy who started it (yes, it was arson!) was a dumb a***. There are innumerable ways that his amoral action could have been worse, far worse. But it wasn’t. I never would have thought that stupidity would be a Silver Lining, but yesterday it was indeed!
5. I’ve written about this topic (disaster) before: Preparation as Protection, and Disaster Preparedness…so while it was entirely alarming and nerve wracking and upsetting, I have been planning for it and when the time came to kick it into gear, I was ready.
6. Help!  A girlfriend (who was in a safe fire zone) text’d me and said, “Do you want help packing?” I said, “YES!” What an incredible gift she was/is in my life! An added Silver Lining is that post-FBC, when people offer help, I now say “Yes, please!” Another girlfriend just showed up at my house and said, “If you have to leave, you’re coming to my house. Period.”
7. Disaster brings out the best in people. Seconds after the fire started, the texts & calls started flying. Even if people haven’t been in touch for some time, people reach out for one other with “What can I do?” or “What do you need?” or “Please come stay at my house!”
8. It was a BIG wake up call for when the inevitable will happen. In our part of the country, it is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. Today was a drill. Tomorrow may be a reality.
9. I learned what part of our system is in tip-top shape (e.g., disaster go-bags) and what needs improvement (e.g., having a list of physical items to take from the house and a to-do list prior to leaving the house).
10. The ultimate Silver Lining is that we are safe and sound.

Just a few days ago I wrote about Disaster Preparedness (http://www.thesilverpen.com/2012/10/30/disaster-go-bag/). Please please please learn from us. Don’t wait for a disaster to happen to prepare yourself and your family. NOW is indeed the time!!!  Please let NOW be your Silver Lining when you need it!