SAN DIEGO, Oct. 24, 2007
Evacuee Saw Home Burn On TV, Over And Over
Christie Williams' Kids Watched, Too; You Can Help Family
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Mom Loses Home To Wildfire
Fighting back tears, mom Christie Williams speaks with Harry Smith, Julie Chen and Hannah Storm about her hope for the future, despite losing her home to a ravenous wildfire.
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Christie Williams on The Early Show Wednesday. (CBS/The Early Show)
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Photo Essay
Forced To Flee Fires
Southern California wildfires force more than 250,000 people from their homes.
But unlike some, who don't yet know the status of their homes, and others, whose homes escaped damage, Williams had the nightmare of actually watching her home burn down while watching TV coverage.
She told The Early Show Wednesday she saw video repeated several times. Her kids saw the video, too, though only once. They're 4, 2 and 1.
Williams spoke to The Early Show from outside San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, which is being used as an evacuation center.
She vows to go back to her property, which she nicknamed Shangri-La, even if it's just to live there in a mobile home.
On her Web page, Williams wrote, "We have lost everything, (daughter) Lela is devastated by the loss of her toys and favorite blanket, (son) Charlie keeps asking for his wooden rocking horse his grandparents made him and (daughter) Piper wants her routine back and I would give anything to be able to go back and grab her baby video tapes, her first laugh, her first smiles, I will miss those tapes."
To see two interviews of Williams from The Early Show Wednesday, click here.
If you want to help the Williams family, click here to get to their Web page.
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I send you the warmest of hugs. Be strong through your struggle and know help is coming!
With great love,
Dawn West
Fort Hood Military Installation, Texas
And it made me think - our nation is NOT at war, our president is at war. And he is ''''fighting'''' in some little dot on the world map, and there are some thugs, not very many, ambushing a few of our ''''troops'''' ocassionally, and Bu$h and Congre$$ are calling it an endless ''''war'''', and throwing all my tax dollars at defense corporations...
This is NOT a war.
A million Californians need help, and the White House needs a photo-op.
What is wrong with America?
Lets stand together, no matter who we are or where we come from, and be there for these people. Let''s send them our caring and our money and our best firefighters. Lets help them clean up after the fires are out, and not forget that for them, the recovery will be long and hard.
I am proud of my fellow countrymen, who fight fires, who man the aide trucks, who give out water and food, who lend a shoulder for those who need to cry.
I am proud of America. I am proud of Americans. We are resilient, lets help one another get through this latest disaster. A bunch of bad apples will not spoil the greatness of this nation, if We the People don''t let them.
Boohoohoo! Sorry you had to keep watching TV as you multi-million dollar "Shangrala" burned down.
Betcha had the same complaints about watching the poor folk in New Orleans over and over again at the convention center.
Someone give this poor girl a towel!
In 2004, the doubled again. this time, they claimed it was from Ed McMahon''s home and the mold problem--when I reminded them that was last year''s excuse, they claimed it was because I lived too far from the fire dept. Unfortunately for them, that was a proveable lie. The fire station was actually less than 3 blocks from my home. When they realized that--they said they would get back to me--I changed companies and got THOUSANDS taken off my premium.
In good hands with All State? Only if you like those creepy hands strangling you.
One can only wonder how the Katrina storm and now this will be used by them, soon, people will have to take out loans just to pay their yearly insurance premiums--and the sad part is--they may never file a claim--just pay for stupid people, who insist on living in unsafe places.
Yeah, right! And she''ll get my federal tax dollars to rebuild her "shangrila" in a place prone to repeated natural fires to do it!
And it''ll probably burn again. And we''ll get the same boohoo again, too.
I repeat, give this poor girl a towel...just make sure it''s Gucci!
Great! Rebuild the damned house in the exact same place it shouldn''t have been allowed to be built in the first place!
Better yet, with the extra FEMA money you''re likely to get, why not step it up and move out of the canyon and get a beachside lot. Then we can rebuild after the next pacific storm too!
So, cry us a river, but just don''t say you''re in shock that this could happen. No one should ever be that naive.
briannorwood: Not that you deserve any response, or could even digest the enormity of the changes in the lives of the people effected by this, but I''ll try to break it down simple enough so even you can comprehend...I guess in your mind everyone in FL, LA, TX, GA, SC, and NC should somewhere else because of hurricanes? And, no one should live in CA? Where exactly should all these people go? Maybe your house? I''m sure nothing goes wrong, or could EVER go wrong, where you live. I truly and honestly hope that you never have to experience what the families like Christie''s are experiencing. I would never wish such devastation on someone, even with your low moral standards.
Again, to the positive people out there, please keep posting things. We tried to do the same for victims of Katrina with finances and positive thoughts. I know Christie, and anyone else going through this, appreciate it. We are so thankful they are safe, and hope that other people in this situation get the love and support they need.
Some places are inherently dangerous - but not where these homes were built - normal land, with stuff growing on them. If there''s anything growing near your house, it too can catch on fire.
EXACTLY my point! I''m sure these people really enjoyed that beautiful view they just had to have. Took that risk they very well KNEW was there.
Just don''t expect me to shed the tears over the loss of their photos and kid''s toys. They should just be glad they got out with their lives.
And when they say they want to rebuild in the same damned place? That''s just ignorant!
Posted by SusanHelit
YOU are amazingly ignorant, what a childish rant! You are also shortsighted to the extreme. There a PLENTY of safe patches of land on this planet!!! If you don''t realize that the chances of fires in SOCAL, the chances of earth quakes in northern CA are so astoundingly and statistically more likely, then you need to log off and go get your ignorant butt educated - or at least get a reality check. People like you are so good at irrational agruments based on absolutely NO information that is accurate or relevant. To say that thois could happemn ANYWHERE on the planet is absolte evidense that you are adding WORTHLESS commentary. Uh yeah, people have choices but if you buy an acre of swamp land and cry because you sink, you''re not as entitled as the peron who bought land 1000 feet above and dams, valleys, rivers, or flood plains, and then sinks.
You are on permanent IGNORE for me on this site. Maybe you should go over to the entertainment section and comment on Britanny Spears antics, I''m sure you''re qualified to talk about that garbage.
Get on with life. Let''s hope the insurance will cover much of this.
Nope. If you want to be safe, there is no spot. Fires burn anywhere - even in the middle of a city. If you don''t live in an earthquake zone, you probably have tornadoes or hurricanes or floods. The homes that are burning have been there for decades, safely. It''s not stupid development, it''s stupid people who need an excuse to lack compassion and try to feel smart about their lack of humanity.
I am not sure why anyone would be worried about how they would rebuild if they have homeowners insurance. This was a fire and will be covered by any and all insurance companies, Katrina was totally different water claims are covered differently then fire/wind and hail. If they didn''t have homeowners insurance FEMA will not rebuild their home for them they will get government loans that they will have to pay back. What FEMA will help pay for is the inital needs of these 1 Million people and so they should (FEMA being the US Government being WE THE PEOPLE!). I would rather help these people (OUR PEOPLE) than continue to give money to governments that starve and kill their people.
Some of you need to think about where you would be if this happened to you or your family, how will you be looking at your future! Make sure you insure your family and possessions properly and if your ever in this situation know that you did what you were suppose to do and everything will work out as is should. It will take time for these people to recover we need to help with that even if that is just support and a shoulder to cry on!!
But if you prefer willful ignorance and a shocking lack of compassion, empathy, or humanity - I can go with that.
That being said--I will not donate to this woman or anyone else in the fire--because like it or not--when I get my new insurance rates--I am "donating" when I pay that new bill.
I do believe people that build or live in areas prone to certain natural disasters (California has these fires every year, the threat of earthquakes, mudslides and sink holes is yearly there also, Florida and other coastal areas have the threat of hurricanes and floods---these exceptional disasters (not regular fire but widespread wild fires) should require additional premiums, and if they are not covered--they lose. Their choice. Just like living in risky places is a choice. What is not a choice, is the fact that my premiums may double or triple to pay for the money the ins. companies have to pay out--and people like me get the shaft for nothing---there is no free ride--a lot of Americans need to stop acting like they are entitled to one--or barring that, that they should get to ride on the rest of our backs.
Posted by SusanHelit at 07:11 PM : Oct 24, 2007
although fires can and do occur everywhere--wildfires do not. They require lots of vegetation, very strong wind, lots of trees, inadequate moisture...etc. Prarie fires or other low burning fires burn differently from those with a lot of trees, dry timber, wind corridors, etc --and both of these fires burn differently than those from buildings. With the exception of the Chicago fire in the late 1800s, you would be hard pressed to find any fires that burned out of control in any area besides California and now, the Southeast. Further, you would be very hard pressed to find even one season where this known disaster did not occur in California. YOu can set your clock by it. I used to live in LA and San Diego--esp in LA, the Santa Ana winds and dark, smoggy skies were an everyday occurence in the fall. The real problem is not the fire--but the gamble people take in where it will strike--add arson into the mix and it becomes a real cr@p shoot.
And every place has some natural disaser that can happen. We get earthquakes (and maybe you don''t realize how large California is - just because you hear a lot about California disasters doesn''t mean much is happening in any one area - not like this is some little state like Pennsylvania or Iowa or whatever - it''s huge) - but the news exaggerates those - they''re mostly little shakers, and we''re built for it. Would you not build anywhere on the east coast because they get hurricanes? Yeah, right. And fires - brush fires - no biggie, not that large.
What this is - it''s a change in the environment, and that means it''s not possible to just predict it and not build there. Hotter and dryer weather. Changes in the desert weather creating a Santa Ana wind that lasted many times as long as normal, stronger than normal. Fires - normal. These - not normal.
Your insurance isn''t going to go up and make you lose your house - that''s a dumb scare tactic. Insurance is there for these losses, and will be there when you need it as well. That''s what you pay for.
Oooops - make that people who prefer ignorance and have a shocking lack of compassion, empathy or humanity.
Nope. You don''t have the facts, and facts are what is important. Show me a house burned down that was burned before, rebuilt, burned again, etc. - is in a clear fire hazard zone, and I''m not concerned. But that''s not the case here. Don''t like the facts - that''s not my problem.
As always - can''t attack the facts, attack the person. Thanks for proving me right yet again. If you had facts on your side, you''d be posting them, not foolishly talking about my mommy as if that''s supposed to make me run off.
Posted by SusanHelit at 08:42 PM : Oct 24, 2007
I think you''d do well to read the article in the top story column about whether insurance rates will rise....
I think you better read the following story about Allstate and others. Allstate has declared they will not underwrite any new policies in California and are seeking to raise their rates on existing policies by 12%. THAT is for California, for the rest of us--the losses that result in this multibillion dollar payout will be spread around the rest of an insurance companies customers. it always is. Insurance companies are not actually there to pay out for disasters and as Katrina showed us--many tried to default or cancel policies and look for loopholes NOT to pay. Insurance companies are actually in business to make money. To use premium payments to invest and to use risk analysis to determine the least amount of risk so that payments from the insured can be exploited. I have worked for EF Hutton, Golden Rule, Lincoln, and Conseco--(corporate division) I can guarantee you that no payout is not accompanied by spreading the loss among the other insured and recouping those monies. You actually seem not know much about insurance. It is scary because it IS scary--and probable that this will have repercussions across the industry and into our own pockets.
A ton of misinformation - the houses aren''t in forests, nor on some cliff for a great and dangerous view, nor are they the houses of the wealthy, nor are they in typical wildfire danger zones, nor is all of San Diego a wildfire danger zone. California is huge. Yeah, you hear about disasters here about as often as you hear about them on the east coast - because we''re about the size of the entire east coast. All you can say is that someone''s a dummy if they think that an earthquake risk, the occasional wildfire, is a reason to abandon major cities. I love the complaints though about money - California contributes a ton more in taxes than we use in services, disasters included. Like most blue states.
Earthquake insurance was subsequently taken over by the state of California with much higher premiums and deductibles.
On the other hand--as someone who was intimately involved in the ARC--please consider that when you send money to the Red Cross less than .50 of each dollar goes to the victims--the money is actually used to pay employees and for other services including padding the other side of the organization--the blood service division. that may sound very altruistic--but most who work for the Red Cross make substantial salaries (the CEO made over 800K ater 9/11) and much of the money never reaches those who need it. I know of cases where money was sent for particular victims in an area, and the money was rerouted to other Red Cross projects instead. (yes, they can ask for money for a hurricane and use it elsewhere) the average family got around 1200.00 for all of their losses including losing a home, food, shelter, possessions etc---even though MILLIONS were taken in. This also happened after 9/11---the government had to step in to get the ARC to actually give money to the victims'' families. I never give through the Red Cross--because I know exactly how they operate, the volunteers in the Red Cross are the real heros--the avg. paid Red Cross Worker seldom has much compassion in my experience--it is just a job and each tragedy and charity event--just another payday.
My how your position changes. a while ago, you posted that the insurance companies would all but jump for joy to pay what they should--now you allude to them being retailiatory but still want to pretend we are demonizing the homeowners--we are not--what we are pointing out is that we are TIRED of paying for the bad choices of others--over and over again, ad nauseum. What insurers should do--is blacklist any location for certain types of insurance--do it like medical and call it a pre-existing condition and do NOT cover that particular calamity. Say for instance--those who built on fault lines could no longer be insured through normal insurers for earthquakes and those who build in wildfire corridors or near hurricanes--should get the same treatment. They should have to purchase separate, special insurance to live in those areas. That way, if disaster strikes, only they and their like compatriots would suffer the domino effect of their choice and the rising rates. I see no reason why the rest of us should repeatedly pay for people choosing to live on high risk areas. It''s like a healthy person having to pay the price for a lifetime of health problems of a drug abuser. They could build and live where they like--but they should pay a separate cost for some choices.
You are wrong - insurance companies raise rates to cover losses. Example, your car insurance rate usually goes up if you file a claim. File what the insurance companies feel are too many (maybe 1 maybe 2...depends on a formula) they CAN & WILL drop your insurance.
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by kelrenz
October 26, 2007 8:55 AM PDT
- Really? Is that what this country has come to? In a time of complete tragedy, where over 1,800 homes have been evacuated, people make posts about how this is going to effect their insurance? You are all really saying "yeah, yeah, people are homeless, but my insurance is going to go up". Complain to your insurance company, complain to your legislature, to whoever else can actually do something about it. Just don''t post things about "whoa is me, now my insurance rates are going to rise" when people have lost homes, heirlooms, pets, etc. It really is nauseating.
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