Talent Oregon Fire Relief Fund for Talent Ave.
Donation protected
On Tuesday Sept 8th 2020, the Almeda Fire raged through the landscape and community we call "home". We lost our home, our neighborhood, and our town Talent Oregon has been forever transformed. As has the neighboring town of Phoenix Oregon. Nearly 100,000 residents throughout the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon alone have been displaced by these sudden and powerful fires.
As the fires closed in on our house on Talent Ave., as warnings of evacuations were shouted over bullhorns, half of our family of four stayed behind and spent five hours putting out spot fires in our neighborhood, dumping random buckets of water on houses, helping families gather belongings, urging neighbors in shock to evacuate, and doing everything we could to keep the flames at bay. At first it seemed to be working, but the winds would not let up and the fires spread to our immediate neighbors. Two tanker jets dropped hundreds of gallons of retardant on the property leaving our footsteps pink as we left for the last time. The next morning there were only ashes.
Our family has spent years preparing for what's to come. We've grown and stockpiled food, dialed out our emergency supplies, and gone methodically through a list of essentials for uncertain times. We always intended for our land to be a demonstration of sustainable land practices in an urban setting, a beacon of alternatives and opportunities as we collectively embark on a path of resiliency. Our goal was to serve our dynamic and diverse community by rehabilitating the landscape and growing food! We had always imagined being active and able participants in our community during difficult times. In service to the people and land around us. We never imagined a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction, needing to ask for help in the midst of chaotic and difficult times.
We are fortunate to have many good people in our lives to lean on. We have our health, strong mental fortitude, and we still harbor dreams of what rebuilding might look like. We are most devastated by what this disaster took from others - neighbors and community who may feel alone during this difficult time. Our valley and community have been incinerated. How can we possibly move forward with so many people hurting? I get emotional just writing those words. I am comforted to know that there are so many people who are able to help. There are so many good people in this world...and maybe these tragedies can help to unite a fractured nation that needs so much love that it's unbearable.
At this time we are fundraising for our immediate need of finding a temporary new home, replacing some essential things like protective clothing, warm clothing and good shoes for winter, N-95 masks, and first-aid supplies, as well as asking for donations so we can offer additional immediate support to our community in the way of bringing in fresh water, trauma support services, and food.
Our neighborhood still looks like a war-zone and we were only able to return yesterday. Fires are still raging throughout the Valley and there are so many people in need during this time. We hope our fundraiser can help serve as a life-line of financial resources into our community during these very trying times. If we reach our goal, we would be able to easily put together a documentary about our experience of attempting to rebuild after the fire. How does the Phoenix rise from the Ashes?
As the fires closed in on our house on Talent Ave., as warnings of evacuations were shouted over bullhorns, half of our family of four stayed behind and spent five hours putting out spot fires in our neighborhood, dumping random buckets of water on houses, helping families gather belongings, urging neighbors in shock to evacuate, and doing everything we could to keep the flames at bay. At first it seemed to be working, but the winds would not let up and the fires spread to our immediate neighbors. Two tanker jets dropped hundreds of gallons of retardant on the property leaving our footsteps pink as we left for the last time. The next morning there were only ashes.
Our family has spent years preparing for what's to come. We've grown and stockpiled food, dialed out our emergency supplies, and gone methodically through a list of essentials for uncertain times. We always intended for our land to be a demonstration of sustainable land practices in an urban setting, a beacon of alternatives and opportunities as we collectively embark on a path of resiliency. Our goal was to serve our dynamic and diverse community by rehabilitating the landscape and growing food! We had always imagined being active and able participants in our community during difficult times. In service to the people and land around us. We never imagined a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction, needing to ask for help in the midst of chaotic and difficult times.
We are fortunate to have many good people in our lives to lean on. We have our health, strong mental fortitude, and we still harbor dreams of what rebuilding might look like. We are most devastated by what this disaster took from others - neighbors and community who may feel alone during this difficult time. Our valley and community have been incinerated. How can we possibly move forward with so many people hurting? I get emotional just writing those words. I am comforted to know that there are so many people who are able to help. There are so many good people in this world...and maybe these tragedies can help to unite a fractured nation that needs so much love that it's unbearable.
At this time we are fundraising for our immediate need of finding a temporary new home, replacing some essential things like protective clothing, warm clothing and good shoes for winter, N-95 masks, and first-aid supplies, as well as asking for donations so we can offer additional immediate support to our community in the way of bringing in fresh water, trauma support services, and food.
Our neighborhood still looks like a war-zone and we were only able to return yesterday. Fires are still raging throughout the Valley and there are so many people in need during this time. We hope our fundraiser can help serve as a life-line of financial resources into our community during these very trying times. If we reach our goal, we would be able to easily put together a documentary about our experience of attempting to rebuild after the fire. How does the Phoenix rise from the Ashes?
Organizer
Amy Schlotterback
Organizer
Talent, OR
