I'm sure ya'll have been hearing about the fires in Texas.

Well they've hit close to home here. My hometown of Gladewater got hit big time. Wiped out a number of houses, burned thousands of acres and killed two people (a 20 year old and her 18 mo old baby). And as of last night they're still buring.

Then, they hit Cass County (up here where I live). My son called from Shreveport (where he works) and wasn't sure he could get home last night because all the roads were closed due to the fires. He finally made it, but today we don't know if he'll get back to Shreveport.

So far we're ok on our hill, but Linden (county seat) is under evacuation orders (everyone has a bag packed). I think every abled bodied man is out fighting the fires. We fixed food last night for the workers and they worked all night.

This is just something you see on TV - not something that happens in your back-yard. It's really unreal.

I just heard on the news that they've called off school in Linden today because of the fire.. it's 4:30 in the morning so I guess things didn't get better overnight...

Please, if you've got any spare prayers - we need them here as well as the rest of our state. And we need RAIN...

:-*

Well our fires didn't get any better. So far we've lost about 7,000 acres and they're evaucating a lot of Linden and surrounding areas. Looks like they're moving toward us, so we've got our bags packed and are ready to get the hell out if we have to.

LA has called out the Nat Guard with water helicopters - I think we could use some of those all over Texas right now.

Folks this is scarey... Keep us in your prayers... Has Marc checked in? The last post I saw on FB was from yesterday..

Stay safe Barb!

[smiley=hug.gif] Keeping you in our thoughts Barb, fire bad. :'(

Joe

Marc did check in on FB and he's ok, but he's not so sure about his house.  He did post a picture so if anyone is FB friends with him go to his wall and check it out.

Oh and Granny ya'll get the hell out of there if the evacuating.  Stay safe.

Prayers for everyone involved.  Stay safe.

Prayers for everyone in that area.  This is really frightening!

Carol

Stay safe - it's a scary time and do remember to update others when you can as people will be worrying about you too.

There's a lot of dry Texas in its path with the wind.  So many affected.  I know you'll be ever ready, Barb.  Stay clear.   :-*



Needless to say but I will.  Don't forget your oxygen tanks.

Praying for you and yours.

Jerry

Looks like the fire is going to stay to the south of us if the wind doesn't change (and in Texas that's a big "if"). Yesterday it jumped the road and went toward the Lake O the Pines. Looks like it got some eating places and some houses. Everything smells like smoke and there's a haze over things.

We lost one firefighter. Schools are closed indefinitely right now and kids are in shock - not knowing what's going on.

I had a doctor's appt in Shreveport yesterday and son called and told me it was ok to drive down there (a kinda long route, but ok). I went thru Oil City (the one that's been on the news) - It was so sad - It's burned black and there were places the smoke was so bad I had to drive about 20 miles an hour cause ya just couldn't see thru the smoke. And there were still fires (small ones) going on.

And Jeffereson (a town just down the road from us) with so much history - is about to be burned out. The people are just devastated.

they think it was caused by a power line sparking (a transformer or something).

People are gathered on the square in Linden (and at the grocery store and whereever they can gather) just trying to figure out what they can do to help. Food, clothes and whatever are being gathered - people are coming together to help, but it's awful to see people without houses and loosing everything.

Our church has scheduled "work days" to help clean up what can be cleaned up and help rebuild what can was damaged and can be repaired, but it's going to be a long road when the fire gets under control.

FEMA is here and is actually helping some from what I hear. They're trying to get suppies in, but for now, the community is doing most of the supplying.

A fund has been set up to help the "volunteers" ( apparently they have to furnish their own gas - the budget doesn't have the funds for emergencies from what I hear).

One thing I did see on the way to Shreveport -- a lot of churches had "full" parking lots, so I guess we're not the only community that jumped into help. So I guess in times like these people do come thru and help each other.

I stopped by to check on some friends (he's got really bad lungs and I worry about them) and she had "big" pots on every burner on her stove, cooking stuff to carry to the "command" post. He'd just delivered a van full of water, tea and gatoraid. I'm cooking pans of chicken spaghetti today to take down there.

Keep us in your prayers... Right now it's one day at a time... :-*

Horrible stuff on the news last night Barb. I didn't realize the fires were near you.

Good news is good but so is that you're taking extra care of yourself.

Some prayers and lots of thoughts from here.

Charlie

Well, we've got a fire on OUR side now. It's a few miles down the road from us, but on our side of the road and we're getting ready for Plan B now. Got the kids ready to load up if need be.

Just talked to Matt and he was looking at some radar or something and told me where it was (ya know I don't have any sense of direction and don't know where anything is). Son has gone down to check on it now - said he wasn't a fireman, but he'd seen one on TV (ok we can still make jokes, but.... this is getting serious).

Keep everyone in Cass County (and all of Texas right now) in your prayers... we're all scared right now..

Someone said in town last night that they thought God was trying to show us what hell was going to be like..

Praying for you Barb

Don't wait to long to get out of there.  It's real dry and it won't take much for it to travel real fast.

Phil and I are headed to Michigan on Monday so if there is anything that any of ya'll need up there we will do our damnest to get it to you.  Just let us know because we're thinking of going up through Houston instead of up through Austin and Dallas because of the fires. 

Praying for you and everyone down there. PLEASE be safe.

Don

They got the fire out down the road from us (thank goodness) and the bad part was it was arson (they caught the guys who set it and I hope ... well you don't even know what I hope they do to the creeps)..

Another one started up and is headed toward Linden pretty fast. We've been upgraded to a Level 1 (they tell me that's not good - the hightest level they have) and we've been declared a disaster area. We've got Nat Guard and federal help in here, but right now only about 1% is contained and we keep getting more fires popping up that weren't there so they're scattered out all over.

We've got a guy with a local broadcasting thing on the internet here who's keeping up with the police/fire scanners and is on 24 hours (he leaves them on even when he's off the air) and people are reporting what they're seeing so that's about all the news we're getting -- the TV stations are mostly reporting LA news and just mentioning (sometimes) about us. And most of LA's fires are contained right now and we're not.

But yesterday I took some food and clothes to the church/shelter and heard the screwiest thing I've heard thru this whole thing... the HEALTH DEPT got into the act and gave the shelter ORDERS... (leave it to a govt agency to screw up a train wreck). They were told they had to keep paperwork on the food (huh?) and that donations .. now get this -- sanitary napkins and sheets CANNOT be in the same room as food - ya can have blankets and deodrant and lots of other stuff = just no sheets or sanitary napkins. From what I heard the preacher of that church (who'd been up for about 2 days) almost lost all his Christian values.. (and no jury in Cass County would have blamed him at all on this one). I'm still laughing about that one.. In a damn emergency - we MUST enforce the Health Dept rules!!! B$!

Just keep us in your prayers and if anyone has any rain to spare - we can use it about now.. :-*

U.S. Drought Monitor
Texas
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Texas Drought 2011: State Endures Driest 7-Month Span On Record
9-5-2011
With much of the nation focused on a spring marked by historic floods and deadly tornadoes, Texas and parts of several surrounding states are suffering through a drought nearly as punishing as some of the world's driest deserts.

Some parts of the Lone Star State have not seen any significant precipitation since August. Bayous, cattle ponds and farm fields are drying up, and residents are living under constant threat of wildfires, which have already burned across thousands of square miles.

Much of Texas is bone dry, with scarcely any moisture to be found in the top layers of soil. Grass is so dry it crunches underfoot in many places. The nation's leading cattle-producing state just endured its driest seven-month span on record, and some ranchers are culling their herds to avoid paying supplemental feed costs.

May is typically the wettest month in Texas, and farmers planting on non-irrigated acres are clinging to hope that relief arrives in the next few weeks.

"It doesn't look bright right at the moment, but I haven't given up yet," said cotton producer Rickey Bearden, who grows about two-thirds of his 9,000 acres without irrigation in West Texas. "We'll have to have some help from Mother's Nature."

Texas' state climatologist, John Nielsen-Gammon, said the state's average rainfall from October through April was 5.82 inches. The previous seven-month record came at the end of March 1918, when the statewide average was 5.85 inches.

Houston has received only 1.5 inches in the last three months – just 15 percent of its normal amount and less than some parts of the Sahara desert get during the same period of time.

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Quote:

Another one started up and is headed toward Linden pretty fast

Barb, if you can, give a word or direction in case access is limited if you have to skadaddle.     :-*

i spoke with Barbara yesterday afternoon and it did not sound too good (she had someone who was listening to a scanner in the background  getting updates on the fire) it was not too far from her.....Lenny

We got thru another night without leaving and the wind is calm this morning. the water planes are dropping water as fast as they can.

They say they have the biggest blaze abaout 30 per cent contained, but another one is coming down the road to meet it. It's jumped the road in places so it's on our side in a few places. They've got those pretty well contained.

Had a damned FIREFIGHTER start one of the fires - he's behind bars right now along with a kid with a molotov cocktail (are these people NUTZ!).

Right now we're the largest fire in Texas (beat out Bastrop by about 15,000 acres).

Then all the idiots started coming out of the woodwork -- had a guy (about 10 miles down the road) run into his house with his car, jump out with a gun and the last we heard someone was being life flighted to somewhere.. They said they had the suspect in custody and the helicopter was in route to the hospital and that's about all we got off the scanner. But it was right next to a football field full of kids.

I haven't even heard how many houses have been burned, but it's a bunch and livestock are wandering the roads - everyone is trying to get them rounded up and to a shelter.

But one thing I"ll say about "Rednecks" - this morning - there are 4-wheel drive pick-ups, tractors, chain saws, and PEOPLE out cleaning up whatever can be cleaned - hamers are going and people are pitchin' in doing what can be done. Wimmins are cooking and serving food and seeing what's needed for those displaced, hugging babies they've never seen before and this is the whole community. And the people doing this don't even know if they're going to have to get out within the next hour or so..

Just keep praying...

Goodness Barb. Hang in there but when told to leave, get out. Leave the heroics to the professionals.

They started up school again today after a week of no school so that's a good sign. The largest fire is being contained to a big degree (water planes have been dropping water for two days and it seems to be working pretty well).

But there are idiots STARTING fires all around. There's one down the road from us now that they're fighting. Haven't been updated on it in the past few hours, but am trying to get some info -- it was arson also.

And people are starting fires in hay barns - what the hell are they thinking - When this is over we're going to be begging for hay for the winter.

This smoke is NOT good on a CHer ... I'm trying to stay inside as much as possible - Everytime I go outside for a while I get hit.

I think "mental" exhaustion has taken over most of us. We're just tired of the worry and not knowing what's going to happen. We've all got escape plans made and have done all we can and now it's just sit and wait to see what happens next. Didn't know you could get so tired from doing nothing till now.

And today is my son's birthday.. DIL and I are trying to think of something to cheer him up... At least I feel better today than I did 43 years ago today.. well, the OTHER end hurts... :)

Just keep praying.. Weatherman said we may get a break in the weather and get some wet stuff Thursday.. (fingers crossed)..  :-*

Sounds pretty bad down there!  I'm supposed to travel to Austin next week for my brothers wedding.  Apparently his future in-laws have a home in bastrop that was destroyed.  Everything is still a 'go' though...you southerners sure have some strong spirits ;).

Hang in there!

~Jake

Staying on edge for days at such a stress level can become exhaustive afterwards, an opening for the opportunity-seeking beast.

Hugs to you, Barb.

Weatherman calls for scattered THUNDERSTORMS (just what we need - some lightening) today. And strong winds... we just can't seem to catch a break....

Had another big 'en break out yesterday over in Matt's neck of the woods (where his Pop's house is). Someone set the darn thing and it had burned about 300 acres when I went to bed last night. They did get a description of the vehicle - hope they catch the *&^*(!!!!

Heard from a friend in Houston and they had one break out down there. Had some roads shut down and she said ask was blowing all over her yard miles away. Not good...

J - I think there's still a few around Austin, but I don't know how bad. Bastrop is assessing the damage now - and they've got a lot to assess...

Not to get political, but this is one time when "foreign" aide would come in handy -- it'll be at least 15 years before our timber will be back and the winter will be about as rough as any we've experienced in a LONG time (no hay for the livestock). It's gonna be rough for a while around here once they get the fires out (and that's a ???). 

Just keep praying...

BarbaraD wrote on Sep 14^th, 2011 at 7:16am:

Not to get political, but this is one time when "foreign" aide would come in handy --

Amen to that!  Just don't hold your breath...could be a few lifetimes before we ever see any of that!