By EMMALIE COOPER
Staff Writer
As the state of California goes up in flames, no one seems to think about how the evacuations are not only affecting those who are in need of leaving, and even less about the family members of evacuees. Imagine being in your “safe place” and answering the door to hear a fireman say you need to pack a small bag and leave before you and your house burn. What would be the first thing you pack? Your animals? What about your pictures? What about the stacks and stacks of artwork from your nieces and nephews, cousins, little siblings, or even your own from your childhood? What about the present your loved one gave you right before they passed? It’s impossible to think about what you would choose to save first right? Yet, somehow these people being forced to leave are able to decide what is most important in the spur of a moment. Some are lucky and have a trailer they can pack in advance, some aren’t so lucky. They have a measly fifteen minutes to pack up their entire lives and hope everything is still there when they return. What about the family members of the people in evacuation ordered areas? They sit there in their homes helpless just thinking about how a house where they have memories and loved ones could be burnt to ash in a matter of moments. They sit there wondering what will happen in the future if that house does go up in flames. They think about what their loved ones will do now that they no longer have that house that has memories and love embedded in the walls and ceilings. What would you pack first? What would be your new safe place? What would you do if your family member got evacuated? What would you do if you were put in their shoes?