[Magdalen] Update--Tennessee Wildfires

[Marion Thompson]

It's an awful situation.  Prayers are ascending for Tennessee and for 
Gatlinburg in particular.

Marion, a pilgrim


On 12/2/2016 4:41 PM, Jay Weigel wrote:
> There has been a drought in Tennessee this year, and several of the
> wildfires there and in eastern KY were caused by humans, either
> accidentally or on purpose (don't get me started on that!). An inch and a
> half of rain was hardly enough to stop the fires. The Gatlinburg one is the
> worst because of the population, but there are some pretty bad ones
> southeast of there too, and that area had tornadoes Tuesday night, and
> Gatlinburg/Sevier County had wind gusts, which didn't help a bit! As my
> daughter put it, "We prayed so hard for rain we got tornadoes!" (Did I
> mention dark humor runs in the family?)
>
> On Fri, Dec 2, 2016 at 3:58 PM, James Oppenheimer-Crawford <
> oppenheimerjw at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 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.
>>>>>>
>>>>