Never in a million years did we expect to witness #OakPark trending on Twitter.
“Yui, we might have to evacuate tonight.”
I still remember the call from my mother late Thursday night as I was in the midst of studying for my midterm. Filled with emotions of panic and fear, her voice left me with an overload of phone calls and text messages that I was sending furiously back and forth in an attempt to find out the status of my family. As the oldest sister, I felt the moral responsibility to call my father to come home early from work and my brother to be with my youngest sister during this time. Just the night before, a town nearby experienced a mass shooting of which some of my friends were there. The past forty-eight hours has been nothing but an emotional rollercoaster as @VCscanner, @ABC7, and the groupchat of “OP Tea” became my go-to source of media for updates and praying for the safety of my family. The falling of snow in Madison that night was supposed to be an exciting time for me but I felt hopeless, knowing that I couldn’t be there with my family during this difficult time. It was in those moments that I considered on multiple occasions to buy a flight ticket home as the epidemic of homesickness caught on to me, wishing that I can be with my family and friends. Pain in its physical, mental, and emotional states were instilled because all I could was to wait - wait for the next message, a new Twitter update, a live press conference from the fire department…
“Are your parents ok?”
I woke up for class at 8am on Friday morning for my English class. With a nine hour time difference, I was not surprised to see a barrage of snapchats from my friends, mostly just streaks that keep us connected. I had been on edge from the morning before where I was looking on Twitter and seeing that my neighboring city had experienced a horrible mass shooting. This morning was clearly different though. I was sitting in my English class when I got a call from my mother and I continued to ignore it thinking it was nothing. I had received text messages from family members and friends asking if my family was ok or if they had been evacuated. I had former teachers sending me pictures of the fiery inferno that was taking over the place I have called my home for the past eighteen years. In the past forty-eight hours, I have sent text messages and sat in terror waiting for their responses. There is a feeling of hopelessness that you get when you are so far away from home and there is nothing you can do but sit by the phone and look on twitter for updates. I’ve never felt this homesick, and I feel this constant cloud of guilt hover over me at every moment. I know there isn’t much I can do from nearly six-thousand miles away, so for now all I can do is sit by the phone and wonder whether or not, the house I have lived my whole lifetime is standing.
The never-ending relay of text messages and phone calls spurred to life on Wednesday night as a mass shooting occured at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California. The bar was hosting its College Country Night when a gunman opened fire, fatally taking away the lives of twelve individuals. Knowing that it was a popular spot for young adults, any of our close friends could have easily been there and that was what made it more terrifying for both of us. Deemed as one of the safest towns in the nation, this tragic event affirmed that no one can truly feel safe and we must continue to let our voice be heard. Given the opportunity to vote as eighteen-year-olds, we must exercise this right and continue fighting for what we believe is right as an individual, community, and as a nation. To the families of these victims, we continued to send love and prayers but within twenty-four hours, the town of Thousand Oaks was hit with a wildfire that rapidly spread into both of our hometowns: Oak Park and Agoura Hills. At 0% containment, more than 250,000 residents evacuated under mandatory evacuations as the Woolsey Fire burned through more than 70,000 acres. Upon hearing that both of our families were impacted by this, it did not matter so much that we both had midterms and classes as our priority concern was geared towards the safety of our family and friends. The levels of uneasiness and distress grew to its maximum potential as we couldn't sleep, knowing that the fire could easily burn down one of our homes. The support of one another that night allowed us to pray and hope for the best. While staying on top of the news and other social media platforms, our friends continued to send live updates in every possible method. Whether that be of sending street names to evacuation locations, they covered it and for once, we both felt so grateful to be a part of the "bubble" of Oak Park and Agoura Hills. We must take a moment to recognize the hard work of the fire fighters and first respondents of whom have been working endlessly to put out the fires. And to the residents of both Ventura County and Los Angeles: continue to stay updated with the news reports, seek safety, and obtain N95 respiratory masks. ♡, Yui Sato & Karisa Toy
Ways to Help:
For the Disaster Relief Program for the Woolsey Fire:
Text "Red Cross" to 9099 to donate $10
Charges will automatically go towards your next phone bill
For Oak Park families:
Anything helps!
Live Updates:
https://twitter.com/ABC7
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