Here in Central TX (Austin and the Hill Country), we've been getting plastered by a combined drought and heat wave, all summer long: ridiculously high A/C bills, plants and animals dying left and right. My frickin' CHILI PEPPER plants are getting fried in the garden!
Anyway, in the last week it has all flared up, quite literally, into a series of intense wildfires. A massive fire in Bastrop County (which may have threatened my parents' former house) is barely contained, and other fires have ignited in the north and west. Particularly bad was the west fire, with devastated the Steiner Ranch development, destroying what I think were 24-30 homes... including my cousin Katie's. She and her husband barely got out with the kids, the dogs, and stuffed animals and blankies for both.
It's been dreadful. While Katie & Co.'s insurance has treated them well, they've had to repurchase everything down to food & clothes, and have had to get a new apartment and re-register the kids in school. And they're the lucky ones: lots of people have lost every, single, damn thing, and donation booths are popping up all over town. Even the animals have been hard-hit: aside from the terrible losses of animal lives to fire, the animal shelters are now experiencing massive new intake. EVERYONE is hurting.
So, any prayers or good wishes that you have are quite welcome, especially for Katie and the animals. But gods, NO SMOKE!!! We've got quite enough already!
Anyway, in the last week it has all flared up, quite literally, into a series of intense wildfires. A massive fire in Bastrop County (which may have threatened my parents' former house) is barely contained, and other fires have ignited in the north and west. Particularly bad was the west fire, with devastated the Steiner Ranch development, destroying what I think were 24-30 homes... including my cousin Katie's. She and her husband barely got out with the kids, the dogs, and stuffed animals and blankies for both.
It's been dreadful. While Katie & Co.'s insurance has treated them well, they've had to repurchase everything down to food & clothes, and have had to get a new apartment and re-register the kids in school. And they're the lucky ones: lots of people have lost every, single, damn thing, and donation booths are popping up all over town. Even the animals have been hard-hit: aside from the terrible losses of animal lives to fire, the animal shelters are now experiencing massive new intake. EVERYONE is hurting.
So, any prayers or good wishes that you have are quite welcome, especially for Katie and the animals. But gods, NO SMOKE!!! We've got quite enough already!
