BY KALYANI VASAN
THOUSAND OAKS, CA - For Priest Krishnamacharyulu Samudrala of the Hindu temple in Malibu, the police came to his door and asked them to evacuate. He and his spouse Srimathi packed some essentials, and drove all the way to Riverside to take shelter in his brother’s house some 100 miles away!
THOUSAND OAKS, CA - For Priest Krishnamacharyulu Samudrala of the Hindu temple in Malibu, the police came to his door and asked them to evacuate. He and his spouse Srimathi packed some essentials, and drove all the way to Riverside to take shelter in his brother’s house some 100 miles away!
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When asked how he dealt with this trauma he spoke like a true man of God: compassionate and always thinking of the greater good, “Yes, it was a little difficult. Srimathi and I loaded the car and were out of the area very quickly. As I was driving my mind went back to the times of the India-Pakistan Partition in 1947 when thousands of people crowded into old buses, bullock carts, horse carriages and trains. It must have been very hot, humid with young ones and their old in their arms. They were leaving the only country they knew and had ever lived in. All we did was get into our cars and drive from one county to another. We have to be grateful for these conveniences.”
What Krishnamacharyulu was sad about was the fact that on any given day three different prayer sessions are conducted in the temple and this could not occur due to the fires. His fellow priests and their families all sought shelter likewise and were waiting for word as to when they could head back to the temple and their homes. He also worried that the beautiful structure of the temple, a Southern California landmark built in the style of the Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupathi could be damaged by the flames.
Malibu, where Samudrala lives and also where the Hindu Temple is located is one of the areas that has been under mandatory evacuation due to the Woolsey Fire. At the time of going to press on Nov 13, the Woolsey Fire was far from over. The fire has affected large areas in Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Among these are Hidden Hills, Bell Canyon, Calabasas and Chatsworth, Thousand Oaks, Oak Park, Newbury Park, Malibu, Westlake Village and Camarillo.
Two fatalities have been reported so far in these areas with three firefighters suffering injuries. According to news reports a total of 96,000 acres have burnt with 35% containment at time of going to press. Over 370 structures have been destroyed.
Seema Bhatia, a resident of Calabasas, in the Woolsey Fire area was asked to evacuate via a call they received on Nov 11 night on their land line. She and her husband noticed that police cars were monitoring the area and they were not allowing people in. “We got a call on our land line and our neighbors did not. We got emergency messages on our cell phones for other cities but not for us, no loudspeaker announcements or door knocks. So, we just stayed home but needless to say, had a restless night. This morning we packed our things and moved to a friend’s house. My husband however drove back into our neighborhood from a different approach and was able to drive up to our house where he found our gardener working! While we are under mandatory evacuation it was business as usual in my neighborhood and that just shows how inconsistent and unreliable communication from the fire/city departments has been.”
Namaste Spiceland an Indian grocery story cum café is located on Thousand Oaks Blvd. and almost in the epicenter of the Woolsey fire was spared from mandatory evacuation as well as any damage. The fires devastated the street behind and that is truly a blessing per Sam Rustomji the floor manager. “It is a very emotional time for us as many of our customers live around here. We lost power in the afternoon on Nov8 and we had to close early. We had to close all day Nov 9 due to all access roads being closed. Business has been very slow and we understand why and support the firefighters, police and other city officials. We are planning to thank them by having a fund raiser and also a free Indian vegetarian lunch day. Business has been slow since the fires.”
The image of the house burning on a local television channel looked exactly like theirs, the house number was also the same; the Pamidi family from Oak Park within the range of the Woolsey Fire experienced trauma and shock as they watched this and thought they had lost it all. However, when the TV reporter announced the name of the street the burning house was on they realized that it was an identical house in their development but, on a street parallel to theirs. “We did not feel happy that it was not our house that was burning but just relief.” On Thursday night (Nov 8) around 10:30 pm the Pamidi land line rang asking them to evacuate immediately and Prabhakar Pamidi a retired NASA engineer, with his family of six consisting of his spouse Pushpa, son, daughter in law and two grandchildren aged 5 and 18 months had to leave everything-material things as well as memories created- in minutes and head out of the area. They sought shelter at a friend’s house in West Hills. After that it was just a wait and see game with the ‘seeing’ being binge television watching.
What was the car ride like when they were fleeing from their home?
“Smoke was everywhere, fire flares glowed in the night. I recall saying to my wife that our life could turn a full circle to 40 years ago when we came to this country with just $40 in my pocket. All we were able to pack in the car were important papers like our passports, Adhaar cards, toiletries and a change of clothes.”
On Nov 9 and 10 the Pamidis tried to go into their neighborhood but, were stopped by the police. On Nov 11night they were allowed to return to their home and when they saw their neighborhood their shock knew no bounds. “There were remnants of the ravages of the Woolsey fire everywhere. Our two neighbors on either side had completely lost their homes, the car across from our house was a burnt skeleton of mangled metal and a distorted frame. Our side and back fence, our patio furniture was destroyed and our green garbage container had a massive ember-caused hole in it.” “I went a few doors down where a fire man lives and his wife was surveying the damage to their house which was totally burnt. I asked her where her husband was and she said he was out fighting other fires.” The irony of this and the destruction around actually made me feel guilty, “Why was our house spared while those of my neighbors and hundreds of others destroyed? It just did not make sense.”
What Krishnamacharyulu was sad about was the fact that on any given day three different prayer sessions are conducted in the temple and this could not occur due to the fires. His fellow priests and their families all sought shelter likewise and were waiting for word as to when they could head back to the temple and their homes. He also worried that the beautiful structure of the temple, a Southern California landmark built in the style of the Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupathi could be damaged by the flames.
Malibu, where Samudrala lives and also where the Hindu Temple is located is one of the areas that has been under mandatory evacuation due to the Woolsey Fire. At the time of going to press on Nov 13, the Woolsey Fire was far from over. The fire has affected large areas in Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Among these are Hidden Hills, Bell Canyon, Calabasas and Chatsworth, Thousand Oaks, Oak Park, Newbury Park, Malibu, Westlake Village and Camarillo.
Two fatalities have been reported so far in these areas with three firefighters suffering injuries. According to news reports a total of 96,000 acres have burnt with 35% containment at time of going to press. Over 370 structures have been destroyed.
Seema Bhatia, a resident of Calabasas, in the Woolsey Fire area was asked to evacuate via a call they received on Nov 11 night on their land line. She and her husband noticed that police cars were monitoring the area and they were not allowing people in. “We got a call on our land line and our neighbors did not. We got emergency messages on our cell phones for other cities but not for us, no loudspeaker announcements or door knocks. So, we just stayed home but needless to say, had a restless night. This morning we packed our things and moved to a friend’s house. My husband however drove back into our neighborhood from a different approach and was able to drive up to our house where he found our gardener working! While we are under mandatory evacuation it was business as usual in my neighborhood and that just shows how inconsistent and unreliable communication from the fire/city departments has been.”
Namaste Spiceland an Indian grocery story cum café is located on Thousand Oaks Blvd. and almost in the epicenter of the Woolsey fire was spared from mandatory evacuation as well as any damage. The fires devastated the street behind and that is truly a blessing per Sam Rustomji the floor manager. “It is a very emotional time for us as many of our customers live around here. We lost power in the afternoon on Nov8 and we had to close early. We had to close all day Nov 9 due to all access roads being closed. Business has been very slow and we understand why and support the firefighters, police and other city officials. We are planning to thank them by having a fund raiser and also a free Indian vegetarian lunch day. Business has been slow since the fires.”
The image of the house burning on a local television channel looked exactly like theirs, the house number was also the same; the Pamidi family from Oak Park within the range of the Woolsey Fire experienced trauma and shock as they watched this and thought they had lost it all. However, when the TV reporter announced the name of the street the burning house was on they realized that it was an identical house in their development but, on a street parallel to theirs. “We did not feel happy that it was not our house that was burning but just relief.” On Thursday night (Nov 8) around 10:30 pm the Pamidi land line rang asking them to evacuate immediately and Prabhakar Pamidi a retired NASA engineer, with his family of six consisting of his spouse Pushpa, son, daughter in law and two grandchildren aged 5 and 18 months had to leave everything-material things as well as memories created- in minutes and head out of the area. They sought shelter at a friend’s house in West Hills. After that it was just a wait and see game with the ‘seeing’ being binge television watching.
What was the car ride like when they were fleeing from their home?
“Smoke was everywhere, fire flares glowed in the night. I recall saying to my wife that our life could turn a full circle to 40 years ago when we came to this country with just $40 in my pocket. All we were able to pack in the car were important papers like our passports, Adhaar cards, toiletries and a change of clothes.”
On Nov 9 and 10 the Pamidis tried to go into their neighborhood but, were stopped by the police. On Nov 11night they were allowed to return to their home and when they saw their neighborhood their shock knew no bounds. “There were remnants of the ravages of the Woolsey fire everywhere. Our two neighbors on either side had completely lost their homes, the car across from our house was a burnt skeleton of mangled metal and a distorted frame. Our side and back fence, our patio furniture was destroyed and our green garbage container had a massive ember-caused hole in it.” “I went a few doors down where a fire man lives and his wife was surveying the damage to their house which was totally burnt. I asked her where her husband was and she said he was out fighting other fires.” The irony of this and the destruction around actually made me feel guilty, “Why was our house spared while those of my neighbors and hundreds of others destroyed? It just did not make sense.”
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