On the cover of the reader: Like a volcano

Chi Varnado writes this weeks cover story about her families survival of The Cedar Fire. A first person account from evacuation, through rebuilding, Varnado pushes through the hard stuff and realizes that with her family she can get through it.

For days we've been on alert to the possibility of evacuating from my sister's place. There are four fires burning now, eating up vegetation and dwellings. Authorities fear that the fires might connect and overwhelm the entire county. We sleep hesitantly, looking out the camper window at the glowing horizon. The kids stay in the house, while Kent and I lie on our bed in the camper, over the truck cab. We can see out to the mountains toward our place. "I wonder if this is what a volcano looks like," I say.

After the evacuation (where she must try to keep her head through all the chaos) she returns to survey the complete destruction of the life she had built. She describes it as being like a war zone, moving through a fire ravaged area that she once called home. She loses everything and must rebuild from the ground up.

Through red tape and bureaucratic delays she is finally able to start the rebuilding of her home in a place that her family had lived on for many generations. Despite the set back she can see past the frame and picture her home, rebuilt and strong once again.

For the entire article click here.