Anyone else combating the wildfires? They have finally reached where I live. I'm orginally from the NE, where I'm more likely to get burried under 7 feet of snow than deal with wildfires. Any advice?

Keep calm, that's your best bet. If you have a garden, thouroughly douse it with water, the same with your house. Make sure nothing can incinerate.

~lily

They aren't around here but we have been under alert that it's possible for the last month or so as we are so dry. It wouldn't take much to set them off (I'm in the central part of Texas between Austin and Waco) either, trust me, especially with the vast expanse of grassland and scrub next to us on Fort Hood.

Best I can tell you is not to panic too much. Listen for alerts as to what is going on and if they tell you to evacuate... GO! Your life and family are much more important than a bunch of 'stuff' ever will it. Most of that can be replaced. When they evacuate you for something like that, they aren't joking, trust me. It may end up just precautionary but it's better safe than sorry in the end.

As dry as Texas is right now there isn't a lot you can do to prevent anything. For the most part trying to douse everything with water isn't going to do much as the drought here is so bad, everything is just too dry for it to make much of a difference. Besides, I believe most places are under orders to conserve water if I remember right because of how bad the drought is. Just hope that the ones battling the the fires make headway and can get them under control. They do this for a living and know what to do about it so trust them to know what is best.

Though a naked rain dance outside might not hurt anything and inspire a wonderful shower of some wet stuff!

I shoulda probably thought better than shooting my mouth off immediately , considering I don't know the conditions in the US. Dousing is how we deal with wildfires here, but considering this (Croatia) is a much smaller country than Texas (and the area here with the most fires is only the south), it's safe to say that out fires are tiny compared those there.

Danyealle-sama is right, your safety is the most important thing.

~lily

I did forget to add this... if they are that close it's best now to pack a couple bags of things you will need, clothes, some snacks, bottled water and the like, in case you have to go in a hurry. Put them by the door, in a closet, in the trunk of the car, something like that. The CDC's website, homeland security and other such places do have lists of things you might need in an emergency kit. Though it might not be needed, it's better to have it ready and be prepared so you can grab and go because these fires are not only massive but fast moving and can take out entire neighborhoods in a matter of minutes so if the evacuation order comes in you can be ready to haul butt.

There is a 5 acre fire not far from where I live and of course the concern is it spreading. They can't do anything to "fight" it because its gotten so out of hand here. They are doing their best to contain them, but really with all the wind lately, thats been impossible too. Air quality isn't bad yet, but I think with this new fire being so close, that might change. Still no talk of evacuating us, but I'm listening to the radio for it intently. (we have no cable TV for alerts)

Man... We went through Ike a couple of years ago and got wiped out, and now wildfires... Texas really is the "wild" west. lol

Thanks dany for the great advice. I'm not even close to being in panic mode, but having never gone through wildfires before, I've been a bit lost. I'm going to take your advice and pack bags tonight, just in case. I've already got tons of baby food gathered and ready to go. I just hope I don't have to use any of the emergency preparations...

Hey, you and yours stay safe Dany!

And thanks for the reply lily. My first instinct was to spray the house too, but I think its like putting a bandaid on a broken arm now. We're just too far gone with this drought.

If any of you are praying folks, then PLEASE keep Texans in your prayers... especially the emergency responce crews (police, ambulance, firefighters, etc) who are working tirelessly to try and keep us all safe.

Yeah, the wildfires have been pretty crazy lately. There haven't been many too close to where I live, but the threat is still there (I'm in the DFW area).

I totally agree with Danyealle-sama that you should just get your stuff together and listen for evacuation warnings, which you seem to be totally on top of!

I'll be praying for you!

Be careful to anyone in the range of the wild fires in Texas. My husband is from San Antonio and I lived there for a year so I know how it can get.

I hope everyone in Texas is ok. I have family in Dallas and Houston. I wish I could send some of the rain that has been pummeling the Northeast your way, but unfortunately in the real world, no human can do so. Hopefully, there will be some relief very VERY soon.

You all are very sweet! Thank you for the well wishes and prayers. We need them. In the mean time everyone here seems to be handling the situation rather well so if you have friends and family out here, try not to worry too to much. It all over the media out here so people are staying alert to whats going on and can get out if they need to.

For the rest of my Texans, be safe and I'm praying for you all too!

Hopefully you will get some rains soon to put out the fires. I'm praying for everyone in Texas and sending best wishes that they get them under control soon.

I'm from Texas myself, and I don't remember us ever having such a harsh drought. Although I've heard that Texas is known for having especially long droughts - like, 50 years long. And that this sort of drought isn't all that surprising. I think it was a Times article. They say we shouldn't expect a whole lot of rain until May. Of next year.

Just keep calm. I've never been near a wildfire myself, but I imagine being prepared is the way to go. Make sure there's nothing too explosive in your house, maybe keep a few bags of clothing and food packed. Lots of water! Drink a lot of it.

And stay safe.

My heart goes out to everybody affected by the fires, along with all the EMS personnel, and firefighters on scene.

I have several friends fighting the fires right now - and the stations I work at are also on high alert to go help out.



I've been praying for rain for days.

My family has been watching this closely. I live in the DFW area. My husband went to school in Graham. So he has a lot of friends still there. So many people lost everything in the fires around Possum Kingdom Lake in April and are just getting their lives back together only to face it again.

To all those threatened by the fires, the people on the front lines fighting it as well as the people behind the scenes coordinating relief efforts, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Be safe.

Also, if you have pets... Plan for them in advance. If you have a carrier for them, have it close at hand with your bags. If fire reaches your home before you can escape, it is a well known fact that most panicked animals will run toward the fire rather than away. (A curious thing a firefighter relative told me.) You may have to confine your pet to save him/her. Our furry friends depend on us more than we know.

Please keep us updated on your situation. Your Dokuga family cares.

(My first post as a new member! Yay! =]) Ahem...

I live in Texas as well, and I was traveling a lot when the fires were really bad. I was driving, and all I saw were giant black patches everywhere.

Thank goodness we've finally started getting rain. Like everyone else has been saying, there really isn't much you can do except avoid throwing out things that are still on fire. We've been getting more and more rain in DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) area, and the temperature has finally started to drop a little. Thank you to everyone that worried for us Texans!

Speaking of rain, we are supposed to get some more this weekend. =]