Hello,
I am currently in a bad situation due to the fires going on right now affecting my town and the surrounding area. The surrounding area within miles of me has already had one evacuation with limited re-access and is currently still under a SET order to leave immediately without warning because of the fires unpredictability with 0% containment (and evacuation orders do not take air quality safety and the permanent damage it can cause to the body into account, just the buildings at risk of immediately burning). Because of the rapid worsening of the air quality, I am currently displaced and was forced to leave the area and stay in motels.
The other residents around me even left days before I did because of the air quality, and it was when my breathing began to be affected indoors that I finally had to leave. I am also highly sensitive to air due to health issues, so it impacts me even more dangerously. I live in a small studio and don’t have proper sealing in it to not be exposed to the smoke, so I wasn’t able to do anything further when my room indoors began to smell like a fire and I was having symptoms from the smoke.
Because of this sudden, unprecedented situation, I am in danger of losing my housing because my finances for my rent are going to motel and food costs instead and they are eating everything up rapidly. I was doing freelance work but it was not consistent enough to even account for this situation, and I was a little over a week away from starting a small business for selling physical art prints and custom pieces from home and had my startup completely derailed right after I put in the costs after heavy planning (because I was not anticipating this, at all). My ability to find additional income has been completely halted by this situation because I am displaced.
I am scared because I do not know how much longer I’ll have access to housing without a way to recuperate my finances, and without my housing, I’ll lose everything I worked so hard to start and won’t have a way to access further freelance work or even have my art business at all and the costs will be wasted with no way to keep my belongings.
Right now, I am asking for help with a month of rent (utilities included) to just help me get through this month and hardship and praying I can just get safer financially on the other side of this.
Right now, the prices of motels around me have been fluctuating dangerously, some going up $50-$100 overnight unless purchased further out and because I can’t know how long this will continue, I can’t preplan. This has been horrifying for me. Thank you so much if you hear and see me, I am trying to keep a safe place to sleep.
Even just a dollar or two helps so much. Also please help me wish it rains so this can be done with for both myself and everyone being impacted. I want to go home so bad. I’ve been struggling tremendously.
I wish you everything you want in your life and more if you see me and hear me, and I hope we can all have a better safety net ASAP in our society because no one is prepared to handle these sorts of hardships.