Two Weeks Since the Fire #AlmedaFire

Tomorrow marks two weeks since the fires. Today, many volunteers went “back to work”. Including me. Children (re)started online school. Resource center coordinators went back to being teachers. Most that I saw with today lived half in one world, half in the other. Yet they still all spoke of long-term recovery, helping, rebuilding.

I drove into Talent for the first time today — to transfer supplies to another location. I got turned around and disoriented driving around a block I’ve driven a hundred times. Every other building stood, and I recognized little.

Yet in the middle of the smoky skies, masked and tired volunteers greeted me with kindness and endless determination to rebuild, organize and help.

I only go out once or twice a day. Mostly, I’m at my computer, working on normal life things and helping as I can with the relief efforts.

I think I go out partially just to see, talk to and be inspired by these determined, generous souls who are volunteering at the resource centers, spending endless hours planning and strategizing how to help our community recover.

♡ Annie

Originally published at http://www.jomafilms.com on September 21, 2020.