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Sheila and Ray Groom lost their home in the Camp Fire in November 2018. We'd like to help them in their path to recovery.
November 10 update from Sheila:
This is surreal. I am feeling bipolar... I go from happy to sad to calm to shaking like a leaf and everything in between. And these feelings occur at random, and sometimes inappropriate times. I expect this to improve in the next week or so. At least, I hope it passes that quickly! I got a photo of my lot yesterday afternoon (it's not a house, that's for sure) and posted it on my facebook page. I was lucky enough to get a photo of one of my neighbors homes, too, and essentially broke her heart. We had Thanksgiving dinner with them in their beautiful home last year. The young couple who live on the other side of me lost their home, too. They have been married 2 years, they have a 4 month old baby (Penelope) and this was their first home and they loved it so much. All my neighbors and many of my friends are safe and staying with family or friends. I am still trying to verify the locations of a lot of friends; I believe some are simply too devastated to respond. Paradise is (oops) Paradise was a small, friendly community where we never met a stranger. And everyone has a dog or just loves them.
We had about 30 minutes to grab what we could and get out. My husband is so practical and level headed; some of the many reasons I love him. When we got the first emergency evacuation warning (there are three levels: Alert, Warning, Go Now), Ray fired up the computer and backed up the hard drive, then he put the whole kit in a box and into my car. He then emptied our safe and started taking photos of all the woodworking equipment in his shop. I grabbed a suitcase and filled it with all our medications (Ray has had 2 heart surgeries and he's diabetic, and I have severe asthma). I opened each dresser drawer and grabbed a few items... socks, tshirts, jeans, etc. Then I went down the hall and removed the family photos from the walls, taking pictures of what was in closets and cabinets as I went by. I saved my jewelry, a porcelain box my great grandmother brought with her from Italy when she was young, in the early 1900's and a mandolin Ray's mother brought across the US in a covered wagon. I grabbed 4 of the quilts I have made. During this time we got three "warning" phone calls, then we got the "Go Now" call. Ray and I looked at each other, looked around the front room, sighed and walked out the door. We locked up and drove away. All our material possessions fit into 2 suitcases and 5 rubbermaid bins. I'm telling my 3 sons that on the bright side, we are traveling light and we don't have to worry about them fighting over their inheritance.
It took us 3.5 hours to drive what usually took 20 minutes into Chico. We passed areas where all the buildings and trees on both sides of the road were fully engulfed in flames and the heat inside my car was pretty intense. I passed between guardrails where each wooden post was on fire and looked like a giant candle. A helicopter flew over and dumped a load of water on my car, momentarily obscuring my vision with water and steam, but it was so hot the water evaporated before it hit the ground.
But we are lucky. We are staying in Woodland with an aunt and uncle and we can stay as long as we need to. All three of our sons (in Elk Grove, Vacaville and Reno) have invited us to stay, and my parents in Juneau want us to look at rebuilding up there. No danger of fire, my dad says. The outpouring of love and concern and support has been incredibly heartwarming and meaningful. I wish I had more words to express our gratitude and what this really means, but how do you explain love?
Please feel free to share this story with whomever you like. And please, please let everyone know how truly appreciative we are for their concern.
Sheila (aka Phoenix Rising!)
A photo of Sheila and Ray's home before and after the fire:
November 10 update from Sheila:
This is surreal. I am feeling bipolar... I go from happy to sad to calm to shaking like a leaf and everything in between. And these feelings occur at random, and sometimes inappropriate times. I expect this to improve in the next week or so. At least, I hope it passes that quickly! I got a photo of my lot yesterday afternoon (it's not a house, that's for sure) and posted it on my facebook page. I was lucky enough to get a photo of one of my neighbors homes, too, and essentially broke her heart. We had Thanksgiving dinner with them in their beautiful home last year. The young couple who live on the other side of me lost their home, too. They have been married 2 years, they have a 4 month old baby (Penelope) and this was their first home and they loved it so much. All my neighbors and many of my friends are safe and staying with family or friends. I am still trying to verify the locations of a lot of friends; I believe some are simply too devastated to respond. Paradise is (oops) Paradise was a small, friendly community where we never met a stranger. And everyone has a dog or just loves them.
We had about 30 minutes to grab what we could and get out. My husband is so practical and level headed; some of the many reasons I love him. When we got the first emergency evacuation warning (there are three levels: Alert, Warning, Go Now), Ray fired up the computer and backed up the hard drive, then he put the whole kit in a box and into my car. He then emptied our safe and started taking photos of all the woodworking equipment in his shop. I grabbed a suitcase and filled it with all our medications (Ray has had 2 heart surgeries and he's diabetic, and I have severe asthma). I opened each dresser drawer and grabbed a few items... socks, tshirts, jeans, etc. Then I went down the hall and removed the family photos from the walls, taking pictures of what was in closets and cabinets as I went by. I saved my jewelry, a porcelain box my great grandmother brought with her from Italy when she was young, in the early 1900's and a mandolin Ray's mother brought across the US in a covered wagon. I grabbed 4 of the quilts I have made. During this time we got three "warning" phone calls, then we got the "Go Now" call. Ray and I looked at each other, looked around the front room, sighed and walked out the door. We locked up and drove away. All our material possessions fit into 2 suitcases and 5 rubbermaid bins. I'm telling my 3 sons that on the bright side, we are traveling light and we don't have to worry about them fighting over their inheritance.
It took us 3.5 hours to drive what usually took 20 minutes into Chico. We passed areas where all the buildings and trees on both sides of the road were fully engulfed in flames and the heat inside my car was pretty intense. I passed between guardrails where each wooden post was on fire and looked like a giant candle. A helicopter flew over and dumped a load of water on my car, momentarily obscuring my vision with water and steam, but it was so hot the water evaporated before it hit the ground.
But we are lucky. We are staying in Woodland with an aunt and uncle and we can stay as long as we need to. All three of our sons (in Elk Grove, Vacaville and Reno) have invited us to stay, and my parents in Juneau want us to look at rebuilding up there. No danger of fire, my dad says. The outpouring of love and concern and support has been incredibly heartwarming and meaningful. I wish I had more words to express our gratitude and what this really means, but how do you explain love?
Please feel free to share this story with whomever you like. And please, please let everyone know how truly appreciative we are for their concern.
Sheila (aka Phoenix Rising!)
A photo of Sheila and Ray's home before and after the fire:
Organizer and beneficiary
Sheila Groom
Beneficiary