Sooo....No love for LA today?

[rambot]

Seems odd to me that through my FB feed, my Canadian friends are freaked out at the footage of Angelers are driving through to escape.

Perhaps many of us were still bothered by the pictures and video coming out after the Fort MacMurray fire.

Any thoughts on what is going on there right now people?
Feel free to share some video if you like.

 

[Monksailor]

I love LA. She is a stranger to me, but I love her anyway. We Christians are to love everyone with Christ's agape love, the best that we can as we pray for and submit to His supernatural help.

 

[Go Braves]

It's been in my prayers. I've been wondering how @Stanfordella is doing, with her being from there. Reckon she's got too much going on to give updates here about it yet. Prayers for her & her folks.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Seems odd to me that through my FB feed, my Canadian friends are freaked out at the footage of Angelers are driving through to escape.

Perhaps many of us were still bothered by the pictures and video coming out after the Fort MacMurray fire.

Any thoughts on what is going on there right now people?
Feel free to share some video if you like.

Thanks for the love and concern.

I luckily live nowhere near where the fires are raging but I saw the videos on FB and could see the smoke in the air from my office today. As of now there are four separate fires still raging each with about 5% containment and about 200,000 people evacuated. Hoping the winds die down a bit to help the firefighters quickly contain these wildfires before they threaten or damage anymore homes.

Also, just FYI... We're called Angelinos, not Angelers.

 

[rambot]

Thanks for the love and concern.

I luckily live nowhere near where the fires are raging but I saw the videos on FB and could see the smoke in the air from my office today. As of now there are four separate fires still raging each with about 5% containment and about 200,000 people evacuated. Hoping the winds die down a bit to help the firefighters quickly contain these wildfires before they threaten or damage anymore homes.

Also, just FYI... We're called Angelinos, not Angelers.

Thanks! I always wonder what people from certain cities are called...so it's "Los Angelinos" or just "Angelinos"?
In the meantime...200Gs is a LOT of people. All the more shocking that there isn't a WHIFF of concern here on CHRISTIAN Forums. Sorry you live in a powerfully blue state GoldenBoy89.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

It's been in my prayers. I've been wondering how @Stanfordella is doing, with her being from there. Reckon she's got too much going on to give updates here about it yet. Prayers for her & her folks.

If I recall correctly, they are on the Westside of LA where the fires are much closer to them than they are to me.

Hoping everyone's okay over there.

 

[Basil the Great]

It is our fervent prayer that no one dies in these terrible fires.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Thanks! I always wonder what people from certain cities are called...so it's "Los Angelinos" or just "Angelinos"?

I think we're just "Angelinos", unless you are saying it in Spanish.

In the meantime...200Gs is a LOT of people.

It could be less... I got the numbers just from adding up what was reported in the LA Times for each separate fire but I don't know if that is just potential evacuations or what has already been evacuated. It does sound like an awful lot of people, though.

All the more shocking that there isn't a WHIFF of concern here on CHRISTIAN Forums. Sorry you live in a powerfully blue state GoldenBoy89.

Oh, don't be! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else so the yearly wildfires and occasional earthquakes are, in my mind, a fair price to pay to live somewhere that has temps in the mid 70's to low 80's in December.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

I don't care to much. Not because I am cold or anything, but because there are so many bad things going on every day that after awhile it just seems to be common place. I hope people are safe and stay safe of course. But I've accepted the world will get worse (literally) before His return. So I'm not worried about it all. Its going to happen.

 

[rambot]

I think we're just "Angelinos", unless you are saying it in Spanish.

It could be less... I got the numbers just from adding up what was reported in the LA Times for each separate fire but I don't know if that is just potential evacuations or what has already been evacuated. It does sound like an awful lot of people, though.

Oh, don't be! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else so the yearly wildfires and occasional earthquakes are, in my mind, a fair price to pay to live somewhere that has temps in the mid 70's to low 80's in December.

I lived in a place FAR from an epicentre and only experienced a couple of small earthquakes. That was not for me.....at aaaallll


I'll choose to live where the air hurts my face for a few weeks a year!
;-)

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Seems odd to me that through my FB feed, my Canadian friends are freaked out at the footage of Angelers are driving through to escape.

Perhaps many of us were still bothered by the pictures and video coming out after the Fort MacMurray fire.

Any thoughts on what is going on there right now people?
Feel free to share some video if you like.

I'm glad you created this thread.

There thankfully has been an abundance of love, kindness, generosity, and bravery to assist those impacted by the surreally horrific wildfires that continue on a devastating rampage through Southern California. My family and I are proud of how organized and efficient the response has been thus far, from the emergency crews, media, law enforcement, residents, and all those in the general public who've extended themselves so generously to help others. I am up at school several hours away, but my mom, stepdad, and brother live in Los Angeles, and they were evacuated very early this morning before dawn. They live right off of a winding road high up in the mountains that is nerve-wracking to drive on even on in the dark even when it's a perfectly clear and calm night. With the smoke having engulfed the area stealing all visibility, it would have been terrifying to try to traverse on their own. My brother described what he saw as apocalyptic. He wanted to take videos, but there was no time to even take his phone out of his pocket. The police shepherded them and everyone else from the neighborhood to safety.

The stable where my horse is boarded caught fire, and neighbors rushed to help save every person and animal. Thank God.

Help is coming from around the country and world. I know many crews from up here in the Silicon Valley area have headed there. When there were catastrophic fires earlier this quarter in this region, I met firefighters who'd flown in from Australia to help fight it. It was the same weekend as a homecoming game, and an alumni who was grateful that they'd saved his house got extra tickets and brought them.

I have finals coming up, so I deactivated all my social media to lessen the temptation to procrastinate on it, so I haven't seen all the pictures and videos from my friend's experiences yet. I'll post some pictures that have been texted to me from my family and friends after I finish studying for the night. I'll also share the emails sent from the minister of the church in LA I grew up attending, Bel Air Church, which is close to where my family lives and was also impacted.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

It's been in my prayers. I've been wondering how @Stanfordella is doing, with her being from there. Reckon she's got too much going on to give updates here about it yet. Prayers for her & her folks.

I'm grateful for the kind thoughts, hopes, and prayers being directed towards SoCal, and for my family specifically.

It's generating stress, anxiety, and fears, but thankfully no permanent damage to my family or loved ones.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

If I recall correctly, they are on the Westside of LA where the fires are much closer to them than they are to me.

Hoping everyone's okay over there.

Thanks. You recalled correctly.

As mentioned in the post I just wrote above, I'm up at school, but my mom, stepdad, and brother live in LA where a mandatory evacuation was issued before dawn yesterday morning due to the Skirball fire.
They went to sleep with concerns not for themselves but for the tens of thousands who live out in the Valley where there had already been catastrophic devastation due to the raging wildfires. The smoke had been very brutal on Tuesday, with ashes raining down and coating everything, like a grim transposal of the vision the jacaranda trees create in the spring when the purple petals are everywhere. Our neighbor had to be rushed to the emergency room due to the smoke exacerbating her COPD to the extent she couldn't breathe. But they didn't think our house was in an area that would be directly endangered. My dog sensed that something was amiss in the middle of the night and started barking, and my parents decided to go ahead and get dressed and ready. The notification that a mandatory evacuation was being issued came out before dawn. It could have been a chaotic and frightening ordeal but there was calm efficiency from the emergency crews who shepherded everyone to safely.

They are close to the Getty, which has this incredibly awesome system that is able protect all the art. The 405 was closed for part of the day! It looked like scenes from a movie about the aftermaths of an apocalypse.

My family now in Malibu, where hopefully they'll be safe, but it feels like no place really is in LA right now.
In 2007 neighbors in Malibu had gone to sleep feeling reasonably at peace, only to be awakened and ordered to evacuate because the fires were encroaching at lightening speed. A family friend had been a minister at Malibu Pres, and in what he'd thought was an abundance of caution had gone there in the middle of the night to pack up computers and irreplaceable valuables. He'd texted coworkers to ask for help, and so they all trotted out and sort of mocked themselves as being "Nervous Nellies" since at that time there was no known risk of the fires coming their way. Then the winds shifted. It was coming right towards them. Thankfully, by that point, they were almost finishing loading up their cars. The firefighters didn't have enough manpower to combat it all, so they had to make a call about either saving the church, which had no one there but the employees who were already set to leave, or the residential areas filled with houses that had sleeping people inside. So of course, they did what was right and they let the church burn. The community pulled together then to help one another. The daycare of a nearby synagogue took in all the children from Malibu Pres; other churches lent their sanctuaries and fellowship halls; there were widely attended fundraisers. I think it will pull together again now, but it's sort of overwhelming with the fires continuing to rage. I was supposed to be flying back to LA tonight to sing at a concert this weekend, but it's been canceled. My brother's school, as well as many within the LAUSD, is closed for the rest of the week (no complaints from him about that, though), and my mom will be working from home.

I hope the fires and the choking smoke do not make their way to you, or to the others from LA here.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Even though I'm not presently in LA, since I have a 310 number I receive the emergency notifications.
This was issued at 8:25 last night:

@GoldenBoy89 @keith99 @Landon Caeli (I think you still in LA?) @essentialsaltes
did any of you receive it? Have your areas been impacted by the fires?

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I'll copy and paste emails from the minister of the church I attended growing up, which is on Mulholland very close to the Skirball fire.

This one was sent yesterday:

Dear Bel Air Family,

Like many in our church family, I awoke early to news of the Skirball fire and my mind and heart immediately went to our church families living in the area and our beautiful church campus.

As I write this email from our church office, I can see smoke from the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, the Creek Fire in Sylmar, and the Skirball Fire just a few miles away.

We are literally surrounded by devastation.

And yet we are surrounded by an even more powerful God that is present, loving, and faithful.

I am reminded of the truth of Romans 8:38–39 where Paul reminds Christians everywhere, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

It is this secure truth that gives us a peace that surpasses understanding, a boldness that motivates us to serve, and a security that no circumstances can take away.

Though our church campus is safe and upwind from the Skirball fire, there are a number of congregants nearby who have been evacuated this morning in addition to those that have been evacuated from the Creek Fire. The congregants that we have been able to reach are safe and appreciate all of our prayers.

Additionally, we have congregants such as Johnny Ignatczyk, an LAFD captain who are on the front lines seeking to save lives and structures. Would you join me in praying for them and their families?

We have been in touch with the local authorities all morning and have offered support and a staging area if needed.

As a church we long for the revival and renewal of every person, every neighborhood, and every city and I have been so deeply encouraged at our church's response of prayer, donations to Union Rescue Mission, the opening up of homes to evacuees, and so much more.

Thank you for your faithfulness as we together follow Jesus every day and everywhere with everyone.

Resting In God's Faithfulness,

Rev. Dr. Drew Sams
Senior Pastor and Head of Staff


This was from Tuesday afternoon:

Dear Bel Air Family,

As you are aware there are multiple fires that are affecting Los Angeles and surrounding counties. One of our local partners has been directly affected. Early today, Union Rescue Mission's (URM) Family Center for Women and Children, Hope Gardens, was evacuated due to fire surrounding their property in Sylmar. The families were successfully transported to URM (downtown LA) but had very little notice, some even leaving without shoes or more than one outfit. We do not yet know the extent of any damage to the Hope Gardens facility if any, but it is not safe for them to return at this time. This is where we can help and show the love of Jesus in a tangible way.

Firstly, please PRAY for these families and anyone else affected by these fires. Please also pray for the first responders including members of our church who are firefighters, fire captains, paramedics, and ER personnel.

Also, if you or anyone you know has been evacuated, please let us know. We want to help. Email Joanne Marcos.

Secondly, if you are able, please CONSIDER DONATING one or more of the items below that Hope Gardens is specifically requesting.


Bring or Ship directly to URM:

Clothing for Teen Boys, Girls, Boys, and Women

Diapers, Wipes, and Bottles

Towels, Body Wash, Linens, and Air Mattresses


Union Rescue Mission
Attn. Lucy Rivas
545 S. San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

If you use Amazon to purchase/ship your donation, you can set Bel Air Presbyterian Church as your Amazon Smile recipient and Amazon will give a portion of your purchase to the church. It's a win-win! If you are interested in volunteering, visit URM's website and get involved.


On the journey with you,

Rev. Dr. Drew Sams
Senior Pastor and Head of Staff

 

[Ada Lovelace]

There are so many horrifying pictures from the fires online. Here are a few my family sent that capture some of the unsettling beauty created from the catastrophic fires:

My mom took this early Tuesday morning of the view from our kitchen of the sunrise set within the smoke:

Tuesday midday with all the gray from the smoke:

It's not fog or smoke on the horizon, it's smoke:

 

[Rion]

I have not been on any news sites since Tuesday, so the first I heard of it was at our Advent Service.

 

[Monksailor]

If one chooses to live in a flood plain they will most likely suffer a devastating flood. If one chooses to live on or near a fault line they will also most likely suffer tremors to an earth quake. If one chooses to live on the shore of an ocean they will most likely suffer from devastating erosion. If one chooses to live in an area constantly ravaged by wild fires they will most likely suffer from wild fires. No; no news to me. Hopefully, knowing the high risk of choosing to live in any of these areas these people had good insurance.

There is such a high percentage of much safer un-populated land in the USA. Although it may not be on the ocean it is a lot safer from any of the catastrophes mentioned above. It is too bad but if one makes their bed they got to lie in it, too. We all have to suffer consequences of our actions.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

If one chooses to live in a flood plain they will most likely suffer a devastating flood. If one chooses to live on or near a fault line they will also most likely suffer tremors to an earth quake. If one chooses to live on the shore of an ocean they will most likely suffer from devastating erosion. If one chooses to live in an area constantly ravaged by wild fires they will most likely suffer from wild fires. No; no news to me. Hopefully, knowing the high risk of choosing to live in any of these areas these people had good insurance.

There is such a high percentage of much safer un-populated land in the USA. Although it may not be on the ocean it is a lot safer from any of the catastrophes mentioned above. It is too bad but if one makes their bed they got to lie in it, too. We all have to suffer consequences of our actions.

I have never seen such an outpouring of Christian love and compassion until today.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

There are so many horrifying pictures from the fires online. Here are a few my family sent that capture some of the unsettling beauty created from the catastrophic fires:

My mom took this early Tuesday morning of the view from our kitchen of the sunrise set within the smoke:
View attachment 215627


Tuesday midday with all the gray from the smoke:
View attachment 215629


View attachment 215630


It's not fog or smoke on the horizon, it's smoke:
View attachment 215631

Your pictures remind me of the Oakland fires in 1991 when I was on Treasure Island. Praying for you and your family.