My Experience with the Silverado Fire

I have lived in California for 16 years and there have been multiple fires every year all over California but I was lucky enough to be safe with my family and avoid evacuation all these years but last week my family got the warning to evacuate. It was pretty sudden, I was in class and my mom suddenly barged into my room and said “we have to leave now!” I barely had any time to pack all my books and clothes before we had to leave. Luckily we had a safe place to stay. However the view outside our house was a mess, it was super smoky and gray. Lots of police cars and firefighters and other essential workers out on the road breathing in the bad air quality. Later that night, the fire came right up to our street and the picture seemed like the fire from the final scene from Lion King when Simba was fighting with Scar. 

That night was the most stressful night ever because there was a good chance that all the houses in my neighborhood including my house could be burned down, midterms the following day, and just the stress of the future of what might happen. Luckily my house survived but this incident definitely gave me a moment on how there were so many people and others who did lose their house due to fire. 

Furthermore, I do not think I have realized the extent to which firefighters, police officers, and other essential workers risk their lives trying to save us. They definitely are the heroes and deserve all the appreciation they can get.I have learned how to be prepared when next time something like this happens and I would like to share some of the lessons I learned from this evacuation and how to be prepared next time for any emergency similar to this:

1. Have a suitcase that contains all your important documents and belongings ready to go so you do not have to waste any time during the actual emergency to find these items.

2. Have a suitcase with a minimum of three pairs of clothing and undergarments with a spare toothbrush, hairbrush, and any other cosmetic items you might need for your daily routine. This way you do not need to panic last minute about packing and get away safely. All you have to do is grab the suitcase and leave immediately.

3. Make sure to take all the important electronic items along with photo albums( I would suggest putting these with the other essential documents). Photos are memories and if you can save them, then you can have something look back on fondly of your past.

This past week of evacuating has really taught me to be grateful for things I usually take for granted but I definitely learned my lesson. In the mood of Thanksgiving coming up, I sincerely am thankful for the essential workers, my house, and my family. That is something from this evacuation I will never forget.

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