An excerpt from an email sent to 10,000 Bay Area consumers after the North Bay Fires of 2017.
We’re so glad and grateful that the North Bay Fires are now (mostly) contained. Sadly, the damage won’t be easily undone. As evacuees begin returning north, they (and all of us) face a sobering new reality. The fires that consumed our beloved Wine Country have stolen homes, livelihoods and lives. Many families have lost everything but the pajamas in which they fled. Houses are gone that, just a few weeks ago, stood dressed for Halloween, unaware of the actual horror to come. The landscape has changed, both figuratively and literally, and returning feels impossible—literally for some and figuratively for all.
Still, as we’ve been reminded every day, there is cause for hope. Over the last two weeks, stories of light have peppered otherwise dire newscasts. A police officer carried a goat to safety in the back of a squad car. The list of missing people shrank from over 1,000 to 65. Evacuation centers had to turn away a flood of donations and volunteers. Homes were saved. First Responders were thanked. Countless pets survived and have been reunited with their families. The North Bay may never be the same, but it will be beautiful again. It’s just going to take work and time.
We hope you haven’t been affected by the fires, but as a Bay Area resident, you probably know someone who has. PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK with anyone who may need it.
Jennifer Chan 