Six years after the San Diego area Cedar Fire, still the most devastating wildfire in California history, Jimmy Valentine (former Roger Hedgecock radio producer) takes a look back at the loss of his home and the faith that helped him through….

SIX YEARS ON!!! 

Gosh six years flies by. That many years ago today (10-27-03) I was producing Roger’s sub show for Rush and then our local show. A Monday. About mid-way thru the Rush show my wife called and told me our home had been destroyed in the Wildfire Debacle of 2003. We had evacuated the night before to the St. Francis Motel in El Cajon , a rare place that would welcome Freedom and our two cats. That became our home for a couple of weeks before we could get a live-in trailer up on the property to begin the rebuild.

After Noreen’s call I went back to work. The Rush show was still in progress and we had the local show yet to do. And the community was relying on our show for constant information about the fires, first person stories from victims and heroes, dispensing information on shelters and aid agencies and reporting on the chaos and incompetence of fire officials and in many cases local officials. It was a catastrophe by design.

While I worked with Roger on fire reporting (we did exceptional work, thanks largely to our listeners who used the radio show to call out incompetence, direct us to folks in need and relay information about assistance) Noreen set about getting us back into a home.

Less than a year later Noreen hauled my computer out of the trailer (I was reluctant to leave the trailer-but followed my computer anywhere) and installed me and the computer in the new home.

It was a terrible time but also a time of remarkable togetherness as a community. Good deeds done cheap or for free. Neighbors as heroes. Strangers as saviors. Compassion and generosity. And it was an American community. Basic necessity items flowed in from around the country. Stuff like socks, pillows, tooth brushes, stuffed animals, canned food, underwear, soap. Stuff you don’t think about needing until you ain’t got none. Even today when it gets chilly up here on the hill I pull out the sweatshirt from Point Lay, Alaska that I pulled from a stack at a relief center in El Cajon a day or so after the fire.

My broad memory recalls the efforts by local church groups. Shadow Mountain Christian Fellowship. Skyline Church. Mission Valley Christian Fellowship. I’ll remember always the Christmas service put on by Shadow Mountain up in Crest on a chilly late December evening. They had trucked in snow for the kids. A Choir sang and a giant pine tree was festooned with holiday lights. We prayed with great joy and a determination to press on.

I recall Sycuan opening the backdoor to its casino kitchen to fire victims. Walk in and eat for free, breakfast, lunch or dinner. The tribe wrote a thousand dollar check to every fire victim in Crest, Harbison Canyon and Dehesa Valley.

One of the most moving moments came as the folks in Harbison Canyon threw a BBQ for a visiting contingent of firefighters from the NYFD. Those who had so suffered in the attacks of 911-01 felt a need to help us in our time of need. The heroes of 911 cleared pads and disposed of debris so the build process could begin.

Six years later the wind is up. Fire warning flags fly. There is danger in the air. My hoses are laid out. My prayer remains constant: "Lord thank you for being by our side during the wild fire, and thank you Lord for being with us now, we feel your presence as we face the challenges and opportunities in the aftermath of the wildfire."

from http://www.dehesavalleygazette.com/

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.