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UW-Eau Claire hears
from southern California alumni affected by October 2007 wildfires
The following e-mail messages have been received by UW-Eau Claire from alumni affected by the October wildfires in southern California:
Message from Jodi Becker '01 (journalism):
Nov. 20, 2007
John,
It's been a month since those fires ripped through our section of the state and everyday we are still seeing how the flames touched people's lives. I'm OK, but as a radio reporter here I had the chance to be on the front lines covering three of the fires. I've never seen such destruction.
It's a strange feeling coming from the Midwest to a state like California. The damage is unlike anything I would have been able to imagine. My most personal experience was with the smoke. It hung like low clouds through the hills and ash blew in the air. The winds were so strong that when they slapped you in the face they nearly knocked you to your knees. We had to wear hats and goggles or sunglasses at the fire scenes to avoid getting embers in our eyes. It took at least a week before my lungs felt able to handle a normal workout at the gym and much longer than that for me to feel completely recovered. It gave me a huge amount of respect for the fire crews I met on the lines.
After working long days and meeting so many people who had lost so much I can say these fires have definitely put my priorities in the proper place. I guess my "what I'm thankful for" list will be a tad different this Thanksgiving.
Thanks for checking in with all of us.
Take care,
Jodi Becker
Broadcast Journalism Class of '01
Message from Kim Lucas '03 (journalism):
Nov. 1, 2007
Thank you John! That is very thoughtful of you to be thinking of us all.
I have not been affected directly, however, one month from today I will be marrying a brave firefighter who has been out there on the lines for the past two weeks!
Also, our wedding officiant lost his home...you may have seen him on the national news and YouTube as well as the Ellen Show this week...his name is Larry Himmel...he is a reporter for the television station I work for and one of the kindest, most thoughful people in the world.
Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers. It is great that people out there are thinking of us!
Sincerely,
Kim Lucas
Message from Clancy Imislund '50 (communication education):
Nov. 1, 2007
Thank you for the solicitous message. Actually, however, the fire only reached the far edges of the city, and the metropolitan business and residential areas were not damaged. So for most of us the only problem was the smoky air for a few days. (Come to think of it, it smelled like Water Street when they used to burn their leaves on every block!)
Best wishes,
Clancy Imislund '50
Message from Jackie Krug Hill '67 (speech):
Nov. 1, 2007
John:
Thank you for your kind message. My husband Craig and I are disaster services volunteers with the Riverside County Chapter of the American Red Cross -- he manages logistics for our Southwest County service area and I am Client Services lead for the Chapter which serves a county of 7,200 square miles. For the last 12 days -- including five days in which we were evacuated from our own home -- we have worked with a corps of dedicated people from our chapter to shelter and feed nearly a thousand people from San Diego County who were forced to flee their homes.
We were fortunate to return home to an unaffected property, as were many of the people we assisted over the last week and a half. Those that were not so lucky are now being served by local Red Cross volunteers as well as volunteers who have come from all over the country to help. Today I worked with a woman from Neenah/Menasha -- just miles from where I grew up in Appleton. It's a small world, made smaller when people come together to help each other. The national American Red Cross has met its fundraising goal for the Southern California Wildfires, but I would encourage all UW-EC alums to think of and be generous to their local Red Cross chapters made up of volunteers who are there and ready to assist them in their communities every day.
Jackie Krug Hill '67
Message from Debra (DuChateau) Kain '75 (English):
Nov. 1, 2007
Thank you for your thoughts, John.
By the way, I am a press officer with the UC-San Diego Medical Center. Our doctors and nurses in the burn ICU unit have been at the center of many media stories across the country as they care for the injured firefighters and civilians. (All were airlifted here as UCSD has the only burn unit in the region.)
We have handled media inquiries from local and national networks since the fires started. Fortunately, my home was not in the evacuation zone. So I have been safe, and actually the media frenzy around the fires and subsequent evacuations took my mind off the tragedy surrounding us.
I appreciate your writing,
Debra (DuChateau) Kain, '75
Message from Franklin Stein '68 (biology):
Nov. 1, 2007
Dear John,
Thank you for your email! Wow, it was a wonderful surprise to receive your warm and thoughtful email. All I can say it is like a warm 'letter from home'. Thank you for your kind offer of support! Although I did not have to evacuate, I was 'packed and ready to go' like many of my neighbors. It was very 'touch and go' for our neighorhood.
Thank you again to you and my dear alma mater!
Franklin J. Stein
