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UpBeat December 2018
By Zan Diener (91E)
President, Reach Out Alumni Assistance Network

19,000 structures, mostly homes, burned in the deadly Camp fire. (photo credit Weather Channel.)


Reach Out Assists Alumni Fire Victims

"Attention! Attention! The winds have shifted and you have 10 minutes to evacuate your home before the fire gets here. This is a mandatory evacuation."

Imagine having to leave your home in 10 minutes or less. What would you grab? What would be so important to you that, if lost, would be irreplaceable?

"The fire was going sideways, and you would hear this horrible 'pop' as a 150-foot pine tree, that lined our street, caught fire with flames that reached to the sky 150 feet tall. Within minutes, the skies went black, and it was only 9:30 am in the morning," said one of our alums* who lost their home and everything in the fire that day.

"The fact that so many people survived the Camp fire in Paradise, California, is really due to the humanity of everyone that day. The first people that burned in their car were my neighbors. We were all trying to evacuate, and the streets were jammed with cars. It took 15 minutes to go 200 feet. I was only 10 cars in front of the car that burned. Fire embers were landing on me, and you could feel the heat on the car's windshield and leather seats, because of how close the fire was to me," said the alum. "I ran for my life, praying that I could sprint faster than the flames, and I did. I thank God, and I thank the people that helped me."

An aerial view of a charred neighborhood destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif.  (photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Several of our UWP alumni family experienced these horrors first hand in the fire zones. They have lost everything. Reach Out stands ready to help our alumni in need with emergency funds, and coordinating assistance from alumni to alumni. Our alumni need immediate help for basic living necessities: food, clothing and housing. We are working to streamline our process to expedite getting emergency funds to the families as quickly as possible.

There is no timeline for these families to rebuild. Some of these areas are still under mandatory evacuation, due to health hazards and no water or electricity, or a path through the devastation. Some of our alumni are just now being allowed back into the fire zones to start to rebuild and reclaim the life they once had.

The Northern California Camp fire is visible in this shortwave infrared view from DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 satellite.  The fire covered an area about the size of Paris.

How You Can Help:

Our priority at Reach Out is to help these families in need. Now is the time for you to make a difference now, as family, not just as an alum.

Please help your cast members. If you know they are in a fire area, check in on them and make sure they are safe. A friendly, supportive contact sharing memories from a happier time will go a long way right now.  

Share your time, money and treasure. Treasure? Yes, insurance and money can’t replace treasure, but you can! Please be ready to scan and share your cast photos.

Our alumni family needs your support. No matter where you are in the world, you can make a difference in the lives of these alumni. We know what it takes to get a life back on line. Help us provide basic needs for these families.

Reach Out’s Annual Empty Stocking Fund fundraiser is going on now.  Please help us raise $6000 by Dec 31, and to help these families in need. Know that your donation, whatever the size, will make a difference. Even small gifts add up in big ways to help these families.  For more information, go to: http://www.roaan.org/emptystockingfund.htm

On behalf of the Reach Out Board and the families we help, we thank you and wish you happy holidays!

*due to confidentiality, Reach Out cannot disclose the names of the alumni families impacted by the fires.