August 08th, 2026

Friends,

Last Friday evening, July 31, we had guests over for dinner. They had just arrived via ferry and reported seeing a scary mushroom shaped cloud over the Cascade mountains to the east of us. We quickly identified it with a major forest fire on the eastern side of the mountains. The huge cloud, most often called a pyrocumulonibus cloud, the largest of clouds ever in the sky. (And the scientific name is cumulonimbus flammagenitus if you want to share that mouthful to impress your friends!) It is the result of a sudden, super heated conflagration such as a large forest fire or the infamous mushroom cloud over a nuclear bomb site. The cloud then began to stretch across the horizon. The local news initially reported about 10,000 acres were on fire, but that figure is now today is closer to 100,000 acres and the news reports that they have contained only about 1% of the larger fire even though 1,700 fire fighters from across the nation have joining in the effort. But beyond the horrible loss of forests, the other horrific news is that it is estimated that some 600-700 structures/homes have been destroyed wiping out whole neighborhoods. And smoke continues to establish extremely air quality warnings for anyone with sensitive health issues, including our area many miles away. The magnitude of the fires is considered the largest natural disaster in the state’s history. Most of you have been reading about the fire in the national news, so I won’t go on with more data..

Stepping back from all these statistics, however, we can only imagine the personal impact such a disaster has on the thousands of people - those who have lost their home, those who have been evacuated, the firefighters, and all those who are working to accommodate all the need to feed and house not only the impacted locals but also the 1700 firefighters coming from outside the area. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the designation of a disaster area by the federal government will provide immediate and future support. We can only imagine the traumatic heartbreak of loosing one’s own home and sharing that trauma with so many friends, family and others. I have found myself thinking about all those folks many times a day and praying for their ability to cope. I think it is incredible that there have been no reported deaths.

I want to avoid being caught up in a “blame game” of thinking about accountability for the fires. We do know that a serial arsonist started one of the fires, and the necessity of holding him accountable seems almost moot just now. And we don’t really know to what extent global warming and the extended heat waves across the whole planet contributed to setting up the conditions to make the forests more vulnerable, but global warming is likely increasingly responsible given there are also substantial wildfires in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

On a related matter, we don’t know how the loss of funding for FEMA and other federal emergency response funding will limit relief and recovery efforts. Clearly the nation has humane responsibility to respond to such a huge disaster, and the situation will provide an opportunity for critical analysis of how the current administration’s cuts will impact the ability to provide much needed additional support to regional and state funding.

And when I think in personal terms about how I might respond to a wildfire here on Whidbey, I can only imagine what it would be like to have a half an hour to pack up what is truly most valuable to me and be ready to leave the rest behind. The most common report is that people secure their pets, grab their photo albums and anything that is most related to personal relationships and sentimental memories. I actually have not found this exercise particularly overwhelming because I can’t identify that many things that would be a crucial priority for me. I would begin by assuring Cathy was able to leave and securing our kitty. But in terms of possessions, most photos are now scanned and saved on our computers as is much of my writing, so I assume computers and electronic equipment would be a priority, (Somehow I find that ironical given my ongoing challenges to befriend them.) And then there are my meds. But other than those crucial supports in my life, most everything else can be replaced. What I would be loosing, of course, are the memories associated with all the artifacts and art that are reminders of so many people and experiences in my life.

My thoughts continue to return in empathy for all those whose lives have been so fundamentally disrupted. Many must experience a loss of trust in life, perhaps in God. Why me and why now? Is life really this tenuous? All the insurance policies and FEMA aid will help, but right now life has become a deep chasm of confusion and grief for them. May a combination of the kindness of others, and the grace of God, begin a healing process as soon as possible. And I would hope they will be supported in allowing themselves a time of deep sadness and grief for all that has been lost, even as their full attention must also be given to restructuring their daily lives. And then with hope and the support they need, may they be able to begin the process of finding the time and place for their lives to continue.

Peace,
Tom.