California Wildfires

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Last Update 11/15/18, 3:00 p.m. E.T.

Hundreds of thousands evacuate as California wildfires turn deadly. The blaze is the deadliest one in the history of the state with a toll of 59 dead, also more than 130 people remain missing. The blaze has destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and forced at least 52,000 people to evacuate.

  • Camp Fire

    • Location: Butte County
    • 140,000 acres burned
    • 40 percent contained
    • 56 fatalities confirmed
    • 10,321 structures destroyed (including homes)

Woolsey Fire

  • Location: Los Angeles County, Ventura County
  • 98,362 acres burned
  • 57 percent contained
  • 3 fatalities confirmed
  • 435 structures destroyed, 57,000 in danger

Type 1 diabetes reminders for natural disasters

  • Identify yourself as someone who has diabetes
  • Stay hydrated
  • Keep emergency supplies with you to treat hypoglycemia
  • Secure insulin – If you can get to a pharmacy, it’s the best way to access your medicines or get emergency supplies.

In a life-threatening situation

  • Call 911 – due to the heavy volume of calls, be sure to stay on the line until your call can be answered.

Safety

  • Find up to date information – including evacuation information – from Cal Fire HERE.
  • Identify the nearest shelter and evacuate as soon as it is mandatory
  • The Red Cross is encouraging you to list yourself as “ Safe and Well .”
  • Mark yourself “safe” on Facebook
  • AT&T is allowing unlimited talk, text and data access to all customers in Southern California.
  • Join the Beyond Type 1 app for iOS + Android (also accessible on desktop) – connect with other individuals and families impacted by Type 1 diabetes. The “Find Members Near Me” feature can be especially helpful for finding folks who may be able to support with everything from stress to supplies.

Transportation

Shelter

  • Airbnb hosts are providing free rooms in Ventura and Butte county until November 29.
  • The City of Rolling Hills Estates is accepting horses affected by the Woolsey fire.

If you are seeking ways to help

  • Donate insulin + test strips – Insulin For Life USA aids those living with diabetes by supplying life-saving insulin and other supplies. In order to continue to provide emergency supplies, Insulin for Life is specifically requesting the following:

Insulin (unopened, not expired)

Test strips (of any variety)

Send supplies to:

5745 SW 75th Street, #116

Gainesville, Florida 32608

(352) 327-8649

  • Organizations are on the ground with food, water, and other relief supplies. You can donate by clicking here.
  • United Way - The Southern California Disaster Relief Fund will support our low-income neighbors whose lives and livelihoods are affected by the current wildfires in Southern California

Please note that many shelters have sufficient supplies. Monetary donations may be best, as families can use them to purchase what they need.

To read more on natural disaster preparation

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Thank you. My ex is impacted by this. Her home is presumed burned and she can’t find a place to stay for more than a night in the general area. She stayed with a friend in Oroville and then it got evacuated. On to Yuba City for another one night stay. next night in Sacramento. The hell of it is her hubby is on a cruise with no phone. I still don’t know if she reached him. Then her car got smashed from the rear, apparently badly. she says it’s totaled but driveable for now. Then she started crying and had to cut the convo short. I’ve offered to go get her, let her stay with us but she wants to get into the burn area to see if she can recover gold coins, etc from the rubble. I just hope she is wrong and the fire spared her house.
I’ve watched many videos of folks fleeing the fires–it’s a nightmare–nothing less.

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SMOKE FROM THE FIRE!

I am in San Francisco, which is far from the fire itself. Due to atmospheric conditions all the smoke is funneling into the San Francisco Bay Area. It will be days before winds change.

Our air quality is in the hazardous range., about the same as New Deli and Beijing which is some of the worst in the world.

I am not sure how this would directly affect your diabetes control, but it certainly would stress your body. The smoke contains all the chemicals from buirned cars, tires, wuilding parts, any chemical that is in the fires way. The recomendation is limit going out and wearing a N95 or better mask. So if you are in the area or know people here, make sure everyone takes precautions.

The smoke from the last big fire lasted about two days. This will be here for one to two weeks.

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I’m even further from the fires and our air quality is horrendous, Tom. San Jose. I haven’t seen air this bad here since the 1980’s.

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My thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by the fires.

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My god-mother lives in Malibu and is still evacuated but we think her house is still standing because a neighbor got back in and was able to get a hold of her. I have some other friends who came back home to looters and a lot of their things are destroyed. Air quality is terrible in the north state as well. I can’t go outside without a mask or I start having a hacking cough. If you have a air purifier then turn it on, it really helps.

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Thanks my air purifier, gift from my daughter… i thought it was silly. But once again my daughter was right !!!