[Magdalen] Update--Tennessee Wildfires

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

It is terrible, although I guess it could so easily have been a lot worse
in terms of deaths.

I think a  whole lot of us are kind of thinking, "WTF? Tennesee isn't
supposed to have wildfires, is it? Not like this!! And how can a fire burn
right through an inch and a half of rain?"

Suffice it to say, fire, once it gets going, is a virtually unstoppable
horror. It can move so fast that it outruns smoke eaters trying to get
away. It stops only when it runs our of food.

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy

On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 3:44 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

> The death toll has now risen to 13 confirmed with many still unaccounted
> for. The parents of the three brothers who were burned--whose names I had
> wrong, they are Jared, Branson, and Wesley Summers--have been confirmed
> dead. Apparently the family was separated while escaping. Jared was
> released from the hospital today, but Wesley and Branson remain in the
> Vanderbilt burn unit, in critical but stable condition. So much for these
> three young men, who were working at two different places in the resort
> area, to cope with!
>
> On Thu, Dec 1, 2016 at 4:22 PM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The death toll has now risen to 10. The identities of most have not yet
> > been confirmed pending notification of families. They don't even know yet
> > how many are missing.
> >
> > On Thu, Dec 1, 2016 at 2:05 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
> > oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I keep reading little things here and there about this truly amazing
> >> American treasure. That Ms Parton has stepped up comes as no surprise.
> >>
> >> I enjoyed the movie about her childhood, and the multicolored coat, and
> I
> >> look forward to the sequel.
> >>
> >> James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
> >> *“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not
> preserved,
> >> except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
> >>
> >> On Thu, Dec 1, 2016 at 9:37 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> > The count so far: 7 known dead; an unknown number missing, although 10
> >> are
> >> > confirmed; over 700 buildings destroyed. As of yesterday evening, here
> >> are
> >> > the statistics from the Southern Red Fire Team, which has assumed
> >> control:
> >> > the fire is about 10% contained. The fire covers about 15,653 acres.
> The
> >> > area around the fire received 1.2 to 1.7 inches of rain, but the area
> >> is in
> >> > the midst of a months-long drought. There are currently 9 crews, 22
> >> > engines, 7 helicopters, 4 dozers and 285 personnel working the fire.
> >> >
> >> > Other bits of news, good and bad, that I have gleaned:
> >> >
> >> > My friend Steve did not lose his house. The fire came close, but he
> was
> >> > able to go back yesterday, and the house was okay. Deo gratias!
> >> >
> >> > The first victim of the fire has been identified.Alice Hagler, 70, had
> >> been
> >> > on the phone with her son, telling him that the house was on fire. He
> >> told
> >> > her to get out, but she had bilateral hip replacements and did not get
> >> > around well.She was unable to escape the fire.
> >> >
> >> > Three brothers from the same family, Branson, Wesley, and Phillip, are
> >> in
> >> > critical but stable condition in the Vanderbilt burn unit. Their
> parents
> >> > are among those reported missing. There is another person in the UT
> >> > hospital burn unit.
> >> >
> >> > Dolly Parton, a Sevier County homegirl, has pledged $1000 per month
> for
> >> 6
> >> > months through her Dollywood Foundation to every family who lost their
> >> > home. That's our girl!
> >> >
> >> > One of the first groups to collect and send supplies was the Knoxville
> >> > Muslim charitable association, which immediately loaded up a truck
> with
> >> > bottled water, snacks, etc. for firefighters and service workers as
> >> well as
> >> > for those in shelters and continues to load another.
> >> >
> >>
> >
> >
>