Homegoing

On September 8th, 2020, during a raging, unchecked pandemic, my son and I lost our home in the environmental catastrophe of the Almeda Straight Line Fire in Southern Oregon. That day was the hottest and windiest day on record and we left with no time to spare, just one small bag of clothes, our cat, and our car, we made our way to a hotel and spent that night wide awake and anxious, not knowing if our home would still be there in the morning. At nearly 11pm a friend sent a link to a video that showed our home and neighborhood lit up like a roman candle. Nothing would be spared, even the cars left behind were melted and left pools of boiled steel on the scorched ground. Our home was burned to the foundation, nothing left that could be rebuilt. It was destined to be leveled and lost to the flames, with our landlord having to wait for permits from the EPA and other agencies to even begin that process. We did not own, and 13 years of our life were spent in that home. The contents of our little home were the accumulation of generations of treasured things, from my great grandfathers immigration papers to my son's kindergarten drawings, the wedding photos of my parents, their parents, my grandmother's desk, her art, the coat that belonged to my father, a quilt made out of my mothers clothes, all of these people had died and left their things to me, and they are all gone now. Ashes.

But, I get ahead of myself, the reality is that the next day began our ongoing process of finding safety, seeking support, and working to find a place to call home while also managing such deep grief for all the things we lost to that inferno. My son and I were lucky in that we had friends who helped us by sending us clothes, bringing us food, and we had a hotel room (a scarce commodity in that time, with 2500 homes having burned that day). We had renters insurance, but that paid out barely enough to replace very little.  We had a small housing budget, and that has now run out. The lovely home we inhabit is furnished, and therefore expensive. We had thought that we would move to a new place and begin recouping our lost things, but we are now staying here, longer term, just because the idea of having to buy all new things is still too much for us. Our gratitude for the lease of this space is undeniable. Still, we are managing a level of grief that is hard to bear. And on the small salary I currently have we are working to make ends meet.

We are seeking help where insurance ran short. We know that people have their own concerns, and that Covid has really messed up a lot of lives, created such chaos. We don't want to seem greedy, so if you can't help, can you share this fundraiser and perhaps in that way be part of our team? Either way, thank you for reading. I promise to update you as things go on, and appreciate everything you do, especially a set of well wishes for our future.

With gratitude,

Mara and Henry

P.S. This photo shows what was our home and a few of our favorite things...