Two weeks we got word that 3 strong wildfires had begun in our beloved Cascade mountain range, and that record high winds were on the way to fuel them. Almost immediately the Willamette Valley was engulfed in smoke and ash. You could not go outside without a mask on (perhaps Covid 19 did prepare us for one thing?) and goggles or some form of eye protection were
Going outside was the one thing we had left after Covid 19 came to Oregon so many of us were feeling the effects of not being able to go outside for the first time in our lives.
Our business is focused on water damage prevention, but our mission has always been water conservation in the name of climate change. This past week has been a huge wake up call for Oregonians, PNW folks, and western states in general. Due to rising temperatures and shorter rainy seasons we are experiencing historic fire conditions. While water conservation is only one part of climate mitigation, this destruction has affected our hearts deeply.
Here are some unfortunate stats from the fires:
But there has been some good news coming from this!
Firefighters from all over the country have volunteered themselves to come help fight. Evacuation centers have popped up all over Oregon to welcome our displaced neighbors from Marion, Jackson, Clackamas, Lincoln, Josephine, and Lane Counties. Community members have opened their wallets, homes and land to assist the thousands of animals (pets and livestock) that would otherwise be left to fend for themselves in the wildfires.
Overwhelming amounts of donations were delivered to evacuation centers in a matter of hours after new broke. Check out the legitimate TONS of donations here : https://www.facebook.com/100011285657266/videos/1149238208795690/?extid=KLTX94Li8R6VpSTp
The outpouring of love and support that has come from our neighbors has been a beautiful watch after seeing so much destruction right before out eyes. If the last 6 months has taught us anything it’s that humans can absolutely come together (6 feet apart) as a community to make a real difference in each other’s lives. So let’s keep doing that! We can slow down climate change, we can reduce the symptoms (wildfires, water shortages, extreme weather, etc.) when all work together!
To volunteer or donate to the Benton County Fire relief go here
-The BigWater Family