Hi there-
Well, believe it or not I am still being shuttled around as I had to evacuate from our ranch in Potrero which was right at the back fence of Harris Ranch Rd. where the Harris fire began. I walked from everything and without a car there has been so many shifts to shelter and housing and finally Red Cross put me up at a hotel but that stay ends tonight.
SOooo I am trying to see what other support might help me get back to my ranch area to clear out the messy items I had toleave. Unfortunately, I cannot return and one of our ranch houses burned to the ground while the other 3 cottages are still ok and got repaired... but the landlady found out during the fire that she has a bain tumor and her son flew out from Florida and wants her life simple so I will not be able to return to the duplex half of her house even if the cleanup of the place is complete... This means I am now stranded and just so glad my 2 wonderful daughters are in college and living on campus (UCSD & Sonoma State) and do not have to go throught this unbelievable and exhausting displacement.
My family and friends do not live anywhere nearby and the colleagues I work with have no way to help out since their lives are busy and swamped helping their own loved ones affected by the fires, etc.. I saw your post, however, and thought perhaps you may still get this reply even though it is over 3 weeks from the start of the fire and most folk are situated and gaining assistance by now. I signed up for FEMA help immediately and yet they went onto the ranch this past week for inspection and instead of notifying me for an appt. or giving feedback when I called so I could meet up with the inspector they had their rep go to the ranch and this elderly landlady is now so much in a fog that she hardly mentioned my tenancy and only emphasized how she was happy her son came from Florida to fix everything SOOOooo she accidentally disqualified me from FEMA support and I find this out last night through their status report system! Today, I am SUPER tired but went online and found a private, supportive channel to help me cope with this fire disaster status that I am still in (versus most others that have connected to support that is lasting). So I did create a new "housing assistance" private channel by contacting this nice volunteer... this means that after I leave the "Red Cross" hotel tomorrow it looks like I can take the little bit of funds left from Red Cross ($60) and try to head north to Orange County on Amtrak where I meet this other kind volunteer ( a nice woman that posted support offerings like you did -via another online message board). She wants to provide shelter temporarily for a fire victim and I got lucky to be the party she will aid for now. However, because I need to come back south to this area and get work done here in S.D. county; then I still need help to get picked up when I arrive back this way just so I can go to the burnt ranch and pack up the stuff that survived the fire. Could you possibly help out still in this way? If so can you please update me whenever you get a chance - my voice mail that I continuously check is at #760-204-9740 and my name is Anne. I will follow-up from a phone both with my Red Cross calling card asap if I hear from you. Thanks very, very much for your caring offer even if it no longer can come through for me... it helps the healing to know there are still good and sane people out there! ~Anne
