Woke up this morning to a VERY smokey grey front yard. Directly overhead is clear, but all around us is grey and dark. After reading the news on the Emergency News that someone in this area set up on facebook ... seems half the county is also blanketed. So far, no new or uprisings of old fires have been called across the scanner. There seem to be 3 ladies (who didn't know each other last week) all having scanners tuned into the emergency channel - and they have posted news far faster than channel 7. They are also the driving force behind the fund raising for the Volunteer Fire Departments needs and co-ordinating information on where help is needed and who to talk to. It has been amazing to watch the prayers and helping hands doing the hard things while so many in this area struggle to make ends meet.
The air is hard to breathe even without the smoke ... but the chemicals that they spray onto the fires and unburned areas, along with the chemicals in the smoke of things you are not suppose to burn (tires, insulation, paint, gas, etc) has been really irritating to our lungs. All of us have a cough and seem more sleepy than normal. Of course I don't think many of us are sleeping well either. Some air traffic above us throughout the day and night - as we are in the flight path between one fire and the airport, although I would really like to see a whole lot more of it.
Looking at the map - and depending on the accuacy of the reported numbers - the Bear Creak fire is now approaching 50,000 acres (75 sq mls). Most of the East Texas fires have been in our thick forests ... so most of the homes lost in the fires in Texas as a whole have been in Bastrop, approx. 2/3 of the total.
A storm system developed out in the gulf yesterday? maybe the evening before - Tropical Storm Nate. We are praying it lands at Galveston which would put the most rain into the affected areas. Right now, odds are best that it will land in LA (state) and send us more dry wind.
Steve and Karen had a close call - something electrical between the pole and the AC caught fire. They were home and caught it quickly, and had it basically out by the time the fire dept got there. The entire back of their trailer was affected, along with the electric pole and 2 or 3 pines scorched up to about 8 or so feet, and the ground in between those spots. They are also looking to move soon - so this complicates things. Please keep them in your prayers as they have really had a lot of bad news lately and have a lot on their plates. God will provide.
There is so much devastation in the USA right now. Floods, fires, people still are struggling with the effects of earthquakes and tornadoes. God is trying to get our attention ... are we listening? Someone told me recently that the Christians overseas in areas of extreme persecution are praying that us in America would have more trials ... so we can see how GOOD God is at meeting our needs and loving us.
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