November 30, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

It is now Day 36 since we have left for Southern California. From our first day on the Indian reservation we have worked day and night, seven days a week, Thanksgiving and Sundays for one reason—to get the home sites cleared so FEMA can get trailers in before the expected rains and mudslides hit.

Today, Friday, November 30, marks the completion of the home sites we were asked to clean and prepare for trailers but today is also the day the rain began. For the last few weeks I’ve been getting up every morning at 3 am with my heart pounding and my mind running. There are so many things to think of… this idea I have for the First Response Team…how will it work? Should I keep paying for this? Will we get this done in time before the rains come?

At dawn, we pulled the grapple truck out of its safe parking area and headed into the mountains to extract what would have been the last few loads of metal and ash remaining. But then it started to rain. By the time we got rain suits on we were completely soaked. Within 30 minutes we found ourselves in a predicament. As our crane began to sink into the ash and clay, we immediately realized there wasn’t much time to figure out what action to take. Before we even knew what was happening, the crane started sliding sideways down the mountainside. There was a tractor trailer not too far from where we were working so we called to him for help. He positioned his equipment on the nearby roadway allowing us to create a stabilizing rigging system.

We have prepared for these types of worse case scenarios. Without delay, Seth hooked up a custom cable sling, latching it onto all main pulling points of the crane with equal pulling pressure. Tim speedily began combining chain-after-chain-after-chain, which we then secured to the assisting tractor trailer fixed firmly on nearby asphalt. FEMA was calling and letting us know that landslides were beginning to cover surrounding highways and insisting that there was no time to save the truck. Our hearts were racing as mandatory evacuations were declared and nearby neighborhood roads were being engulfed with mud.

At this point, all of our hearts were pounding. I did not want to lose my $310,000 crane truck but I also wanted myself and my men to be safe. As we tried the first pull away, the 65,000-pound crane again started sliding sideways down the hill. Luckily, the crane crashed against a huge pile of metal and stopped. We repositioned the slings, cables, and chains and 45 minutes later we finally recovered the rig.

Before we evacuated, we took the two CAT skid steers and placed them in separate locations on the Indian reservation. We picked the areas we thought would get hit the worst and left the CATs there. When the rain stops we will return, and if the mud does not take away the machines we will use them to dig these people out.

We began to find our way down the mountain by Highway 76. We were told that the road was closed by mudslides but no one knew where. We decided to head south and found ourselves in a little town called Julian. It’s safe here. The mountains surrounding us have trees on them to hold back the mud. The fire did not hit here. We will stay here tonight.

I’m relieved that Seth, Tim and I are safe. My equipment? Well I guess we will find out in a few hours if it made it. We found an old hotel to stay at. Right now, the weather outside sounds like a scary movie. The wind whistles through this old building like…well, I just can’t explain how it sounds. The rain is crashing against the window so loud it sounds like someone is taking their hands and beating on the side of the wall.

This is the day we were trying to beat and in a way we did. We got the home sites done but today the pressure was on. We evacuated successfully, and we are safe. What else could you ask for? Now if I could just get my heart to calm its beating I might be able to get some sleep.

La Jolla is the poorest Indian reservation in the area as they have no casino and no thriving business to keep financial resources coming in. But….La Jolla is the first Indian reservation to be cleaned up and the first for trailers to be brought in for people to live in. The federal government cannot believe the work we have performed in such a short period of time, and the tribal council is so proud to say their reservation is on its way to a full recovery.

I’m proud of my men, I’m proud of our equipment, I’m thankful for all of our friends who have stood by our side, encouraging us to keep on, and I’m thankful we are safe.

The poor Indian tribe of La Jolla has something to be proud of again, and they are rebuilding their lives and facing new challenges with newfound assurance that they can and will overcome.

This is why Disaster Recovery Solutions’ First Response Team exists—for moments like this. To persevere hand-in-hand with those who have lost everything. Sharing in the hope that we can and will overcome every obstacle. Nothing is impossible, and better days are ahead.

Life will always be full of challenges. May we always find the courage to face the impossible and never give up. And when I can’t find the strength inside me, may I always be given the grace to be reminded that help is a prayer away.

November 19, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

I never thought we would be here this long but we are. Thanksgiving is coming up fast…only two days away. Thanksgiving morning we will not wake up to the usual aroma of gravy and stuffing. Tim, Seth and I will still be here at La Jolla, sifting through ash, lifting piles of metal, crushing burnt cars, and franticly trying to get these home sites clear. The winds are coming on Wednesday; they might start fires again. The rain is coming; it could be here any day. What is ahead is almost impossible to prepare for. How do you hold a mountain back when the hills, as far as the eyes can see, begin to slide? I feel the urgency as I sit in this makeshift cabin two miles outside the Indian reservation. Though the sun has been down for hours, my heart is beating in such a way that I want to get back out there and begin work. But we must rest and get some sleep.

At daybreak we begin again. The sooner I get the charred lots clear, the sooner trailers can be brought in and stocked with clothing and food. Communication has not yet been established. The phone lines are not connected yet and even if they were, where would they connect to? If another fire starts, if the mudslides begin, how will all the Indians in these mountains know the danger that befalls them?

I never cease to be amazed how disasters change people. We don’t have many stories because the fact remains most of these Indians have left their destroyed homes. But the few we meet are thankful we are here and, more amazingly, they are thankful for what they have left. As I have said before, fires destroy everything and leave nothing behind. But what we would call junk, what we would call charred garbage, is what they call theirs.

Yesterday Tim and Seth ventured up a gravel road that was so questionable we weren’t even sure if it was a good idea to take our highly-specialized and valuable claw truck up it. We walked the road first. Seth thought he could handle it, and we agreed to pioneer to the site. Later this evening Tim shared with me that two women came and explained how they would like to watch as Tim and Seth grabbed debris and loaded it in the truck. Obviously the guys agreed but only found an old car jack, some weights, and a knife. Out of nowhere one of the ladies said, “This might be nothing but junk and metal to you, but this is my metal and junk.”

I’m not sure if I will ever truly understand what that lady meant. What would make a melted pile of metal and ash so meaningful to someone? I don’t know but I’m glad we helped this lady find those few items. If it means that much to them, then it means something to me.

Sometimes I feel such a disconnect from those we are helping because I have never truly walked in their shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I have had loss in my life – mostly those I loved and miss dearly – but no matter how many times you have gone through loss, it’s as if it’s happening for the first time.

God, if you are out there, give these people enough strength to make it through each day…for this too shall pass.

November 5, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

Working up at the Indian Reservation has been sad. Most of the Indians have dispersed to other areas since their homes have been destroyed. While sifting through the ashes we find bowls of coins, jewelry, and sometimes papers that would obviously be valuable to their owners. Finding two diamond wedding rings yesterday was the highlight. All we can do is leave them on the site we cleaned as there is no one to even give them to. The reality is there is nothing left, nothing to even begin to start over with. I know that when the people return home to the Indian reservation they will be encouraged to find their home site cleaned and will find hope to start over again. The chief is so thankful that we are here to help. We interact with him a few times every day but you can tell the fires and enormous losses have made a lasting impact on him. I hope better days are ahead for the Indians.

Although surrounded by devastation, it has been a great experience to work with the firemen. Often we see them trying to cut up and pull trees that have fallen close to the road. Many of these trees are too big to manage with saws and manpower. We stop along the highways and help the firemen with the equipment we have. They desperately need assistance and are always so appreciative of our help.

In a few weeks, FEMA will be bringing in trailers for these people to live in. I hope this will help them feel like they can get back on their own land and begin again. Tomorrow morning we will be sifting through the ashes of a trailer that belonged to a waitress. She says she kept hundreds of dollars in change in her kitchen. I hope we can recover that money for her. Soon the rains will come and these mountains will experience tremendous mud slides due to lack of trees and vegetation that once held the dirt and rocks in place. We will continue to work here and help these people.

Novermber 1, 2007 - San Diego, CA Wildfires

I participated in a meeting this afternoon held at the Salvation Army in downtown San Diego. A group of volunteer organizations got together to take inventory of what resources were available. We turned out to be the only ones with heavy equipment and connected with a man by the name of Don Hargis, Director of the CA Southern Baptist Convention.

Don was excited about the heavy equipment we brought from NY. He explained that he heard about an Indian reservation called La Jolla that was in need of help and asked me to join him for a meeting with the governor’s chief of staff later that evening on the reservation. Of course I agreed.

We had only been in CA a few days but when we arrived at the La Jolla Indian reservation I can tell the damage was bad. From what we could see, more than 150 homes were destroyed and 8,000 acres were burnt to the ground. Most of the Indian reservations in this part of the country have casinos but this one does not, which means they don’t have much money.

We met with the governor’s people only to find out that no one has insurance here as well. There is a push to get home sites cleaned up and to get trailers moved in as quickly as possible in order for some of these people to get back to their home sites. I took a quick tour of the reservation only to find out that most of the roads were old and dangerous and had many overgrown trees encroaching on roadways. Not only will we have to clean up these home sites but we will also need to repair roads and cut our way through so there is enough room to pull out the destroyed homes and bring new trailers in.

As hard as I try, I simply cannot put myself in the shoes of these people. Tonight I sat in a meeting with the Indian tribe leaders and heard their discussions about the difficulty ahead. Now that the vegetation on the mountain has burned away, and with the heavy rainy season just a month away, mud slides will be devastating. And as the ash washes down into the water system, they will face the further challenge of a contaminated water supply.

There are obviously not a lot of resources here. I hope we will be able to help this community get back on their feet.