BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
LOS ANGELES, CA - The holiday month of December, turned gruesome for many families in Southern California as horrendous fires spit an image of doom, destruction, calamity and casualty across Los Angeles and the nearby regions. Though other fires like the Skirball, Lilac, Creek, Rye and Liberty dozed down within three to four days,
LOS ANGELES, CA - The holiday month of December, turned gruesome for many families in Southern California as horrendous fires spit an image of doom, destruction, calamity and casualty across Los Angeles and the nearby regions. Though other fires like the Skirball, Lilac, Creek, Rye and Liberty dozed down within three to four days,
house on the opposite hill was burnt completely. The owners Amrit Kaur and her husband were evacuated. They are now living with their son in Los Angeles. Sadly, they were living here for the past 20 years and now they have lost everything. Such a tragedy!”
A resident of Sylmar, Gurpreet Dua, whose house was in the Creek Fire evacuation zone, mentioned, “We were finally allowed back in our house late Dec 8 night. Initially on Dec 5 morning we woke up at 4:30 am to the sounds of heavy winds and smell of smoke from fire on the hills behind our community in Sylmar. Our community is right across from the Santiago Estate where more than four houses were completely destroyed. Luckily none of the houses were damaged in our community. There is only one other Indian family in our area that I personally know but they were out of town.”
Amandeep Kaur, 27, also a resident of Sylmar and affected by the Creek Fire, told her tale of how they were evacuated . “We were woken up after my sister spotted fire and alerted others. We were evacuated around 6 am and returned in the evening only to be evacuated again shortly. Then we spent three days at the Khalsa Care Foundation Gurdwara in Pacoima which is 8 miles from our place. Our neighbor Surinder Singh’s family were also among some of the other Indian families present at KCF. Thankfully, none of our houses were damaged and we all have returned home safely.”
When contacted, KCF Gurdwara Head Priest Mastaan Singh, said “We are offering winter wear like jackets, blankets, socks and food items to all communities. People come to our Gurdwara and stand in queues from as early as 5 am. We are trying to do whatever we can for our community and everybody else.”
As of now, the Thomas fire has uncontrollably moved west into the Santa Barbara foothills, and northwest towards Lake Cachuma. Following reports of fire spreading to the Santa Barbara, the Vedanta Society faced evacuation on Dec 10. A statement by the Society said: “The Santa Barbara temple is closed, and the Sunday lecture canceled, due to the Thomas wildfire. The convent residents have now evacuated and are safe. We pray that the holy temple remains unscathed. Programs for Holy Mother’s birthday continue as planned in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.”
On being approached, the temple’s Hollywood branch officials informed, “Most of the convent members are safe and have gone to the devotees home. They will be back as soon as conditions become normal.”
Several other organizations are also dealing with important unseen aspects of the LA fires in their own ways. Lisa Lange, Senior Vice President of Communications from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) making an appeal through IJ, requested, “As the wildfires continue to rage, let’s not forget that humans aren’t the only ones who are suffering. Animals’ homes are being destroyed, too. Once the smoke clears, this means that coyotes, cougars, deer, bobcats, raccoons, and other animals will likely be venturing into residential areas in desperate search of food, water, and shelter.”
“Please be patient with these animals and treat them with respect and compassion. Some of them have lost their homes and families. They may be confused, burned, hungry, and dehydrated. In the first days after the fire, consider leaving water out for thirsty animals if you live in the foothills. Keep your companion animals indoors and let wildlife pass through,” Lange appealed.
The County of Ventura has launched a website : www.VenturaCountyRecovers.org which includes information on debris removal, rebuilding, permits, property reassessment, hazardous materials, health issues and much more.
it was the Thomas fire that was uncontrollable and spread as far as Santa Barbara and San Diego. The fire, that started on December 4, burned nearly 230,000 acres in total, making it the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history. Sadly, only 10 percent has been contained so far.
In Ventura, the Thomas fire destroyed nearly 427 structures and damaged at least 85 more. Many Indian-Americans were also impacted in the region. The figures are still rising with the fires continuously raging and rescue efforts still on.
To get a grasp on the situation, IJ spoke to some of the Indian-Americans living in Ventura and Sylmar region who were affected by the Thomas and Creek fire respectively. Indian restaurant Taj Cafe owner Satbir Singh, describing the horrible situation in Ventura told IJ, “The fire severely impacted small business owners and we were immediately asked to evacuate. I had to close down my restaurant, too. There was no power and police cars were everywhere.”
Witnessing the dire situation, Ventura Gurdwara also came forward to help and provided relief and food services to the Red Cross Shelter located at Ventura County Fairgrounds in Camarillo. Head Priest of Ventura Gurdwara, Satnam Singh also detailed about an Indian family that was displaced due to the Thomas fires. He said, “An Indian family’s
A resident of Sylmar, Gurpreet Dua, whose house was in the Creek Fire evacuation zone, mentioned, “We were finally allowed back in our house late Dec 8 night. Initially on Dec 5 morning we woke up at 4:30 am to the sounds of heavy winds and smell of smoke from fire on the hills behind our community in Sylmar. Our community is right across from the Santiago Estate where more than four houses were completely destroyed. Luckily none of the houses were damaged in our community. There is only one other Indian family in our area that I personally know but they were out of town.”
Amandeep Kaur, 27, also a resident of Sylmar and affected by the Creek Fire, told her tale of how they were evacuated . “We were woken up after my sister spotted fire and alerted others. We were evacuated around 6 am and returned in the evening only to be evacuated again shortly. Then we spent three days at the Khalsa Care Foundation Gurdwara in Pacoima which is 8 miles from our place. Our neighbor Surinder Singh’s family were also among some of the other Indian families present at KCF. Thankfully, none of our houses were damaged and we all have returned home safely.”
When contacted, KCF Gurdwara Head Priest Mastaan Singh, said “We are offering winter wear like jackets, blankets, socks and food items to all communities. People come to our Gurdwara and stand in queues from as early as 5 am. We are trying to do whatever we can for our community and everybody else.”
As of now, the Thomas fire has uncontrollably moved west into the Santa Barbara foothills, and northwest towards Lake Cachuma. Following reports of fire spreading to the Santa Barbara, the Vedanta Society faced evacuation on Dec 10. A statement by the Society said: “The Santa Barbara temple is closed, and the Sunday lecture canceled, due to the Thomas wildfire. The convent residents have now evacuated and are safe. We pray that the holy temple remains unscathed. Programs for Holy Mother’s birthday continue as planned in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.”
On being approached, the temple’s Hollywood branch officials informed, “Most of the convent members are safe and have gone to the devotees home. They will be back as soon as conditions become normal.”
Several other organizations are also dealing with important unseen aspects of the LA fires in their own ways. Lisa Lange, Senior Vice President of Communications from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) making an appeal through IJ, requested, “As the wildfires continue to rage, let’s not forget that humans aren’t the only ones who are suffering. Animals’ homes are being destroyed, too. Once the smoke clears, this means that coyotes, cougars, deer, bobcats, raccoons, and other animals will likely be venturing into residential areas in desperate search of food, water, and shelter.”
“Please be patient with these animals and treat them with respect and compassion. Some of them have lost their homes and families. They may be confused, burned, hungry, and dehydrated. In the first days after the fire, consider leaving water out for thirsty animals if you live in the foothills. Keep your companion animals indoors and let wildlife pass through,” Lange appealed.
The County of Ventura has launched a website : www.VenturaCountyRecovers.org which includes information on debris removal, rebuilding, permits, property reassessment, hazardous materials, health issues and much more.
it was the Thomas fire that was uncontrollable and spread as far as Santa Barbara and San Diego. The fire, that started on December 4, burned nearly 230,000 acres in total, making it the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history. Sadly, only 10 percent has been contained so far.
In Ventura, the Thomas fire destroyed nearly 427 structures and damaged at least 85 more. Many Indian-Americans were also impacted in the region. The figures are still rising with the fires continuously raging and rescue efforts still on.
To get a grasp on the situation, IJ spoke to some of the Indian-Americans living in Ventura and Sylmar region who were affected by the Thomas and Creek fire respectively. Indian restaurant Taj Cafe owner Satbir Singh, describing the horrible situation in Ventura told IJ, “The fire severely impacted small business owners and we were immediately asked to evacuate. I had to close down my restaurant, too. There was no power and police cars were everywhere.”
Witnessing the dire situation, Ventura Gurdwara also came forward to help and provided relief and food services to the Red Cross Shelter located at Ventura County Fairgrounds in Camarillo. Head Priest of Ventura Gurdwara, Satnam Singh also detailed about an Indian family that was displaced due to the Thomas fires. He said, “An Indian family’s
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