Voices of Lake County, CA HSU Social Work Students Ac:vely Engaged In Community
Dear HSU Department of Social Work Community,
Saturday, September 12th, 2015 is a day the residents of Lake County, CA, will keep with them in their minds and in their hearts. At 1:30pm a brush fire began and immediately consumed 50 acres. The fire quickly grew to 400 acres by 4pm and was over 10,000 acres by 6:30pm. It was past 25,000 acres late that night.
The fire physically and emoNonally impacted the lives of the residents, as well as their extended family, friends, and colleagues.
Several Lake County residents are students in the HSU Department of Social Work’s Distributed Learning (online) Program. While the Department supported the relief efforts from afar gathering and delivering supplies such as blankets, clothes and toiletry items, the students were there, acNvely engaged in their community. The stories in this publicaNon are to honor their experience, their work in the field, and their conNnued effort to engage in their community while earning their Social Work degree.
Mary Pagan, MSW Student Lake County Resident
Saturday, September 12, 2015 started like any normal weekend day, liUle did the people of Lake County know that everything was about to change in such a traumaNc, profound way.
IMAGE: Mary Pagan
For me I dabbled in homework, did some yard work, spent some Nme with my family and later in the aWernoon headed to work to get some things done at Lake County Child Welfare. As I pulled onto the highway I noNced a smoke plume over in the Cobb area, I had not been on social media and so I didn’t know what was going on. I remember feeling scared because it seemed like the Rocky fire had just been put out and that was traumaNc. I got to work and there were other people there working overNme. One of which is my best friend, she was panicked because her youngest son was on the mountain and she was scared.
We found the scanners at work and tuned in for what would be some of the most horrifying, life changing hours of my life. As we listened it was clear that Cobb Mountain was on fire, we could hear the sheriff clearing streets on Cobb, we could hear the dispatchers warning the sheriff about big propane tanks (we don’t have underground gas in Lake County, almost everyone has a tank). While this was scary, we had no idea what was coming, they, the sheriff, the fire fighters, the people of Cobb and Hidden Valley and Middletown, had no idea what was coming, a big, raging monster called The Valley Fire.
We conNnued to listen, my friend was panicking so bad she could barely breathe, I suggested she take a Xanax, she called her husband, he picked her up and she took the scanner with her. I remained at Child Welfare and began to call foster homes in the area because we are charged with knowing where all of our foster children will be in event of an emergency.
What happened next was surreal. I heard that the fire was coming across a ridge and headed to Hidden Valley. I thought to myself, how! How could the fire be that far! This cannot be true, I didn’t hear this right!! Geographically these communiNes are far apart. Then I heard an advisory evacuaNon be announced on the scanner, it was TRUE! I texted two of my employees to make sure they knew what was happening, they didn’t respond! Now I was panicking. Finally one texted back that he knew Cobb was on fire but that I woke him from a nap and he didn’t think the fire was headed his way, I advised that he should be ready to go. I told him I was listening to a scanner. Then the advisory became mandatory and while officers and dispatch tried to remain calm you could hear the panic. The fire jumped the two lane highway, officers were reporNng hearing people screaming and not being able to reach them behind a wall of fire. I texted my employee again, he has a wife and two small children, I texted “Leave now, please leave now”. The fire was out of control, the highway was a mess, both sides on fire, car crashing, cars on fires, Hidden Valley gates being closed, cars being backed up in traffic, people calling into the Sherriff to report people, children, at home alone in this area, it was horrifying to listen. And on and on it went.
AWer 5 hours I decided I needed to shut the scanner off and go home. I learned that the first shelter was being opened at my home church. All Department of Social Service employees are first responders but we sign up to be noNfied and I never signed up. I went home and talked to my husband about what I had just heard, I was in shocked by what I had just listened too. I decided to go to the shelter to help in whatever way I could, and so I did. There I remained unNl midnight and there I returned to at 6am, this Nme with my husband.
I could write for days about the weeks that have followed, the moments that I will never forget, the beauty that I have seen rise from the ashes, the community that I love so much coming together for one cause, helping each other, hugging each other and caring for each other in a way that was astonishing, but that would take days.
I have been a social worker for 15 years, but though this tragedy I realized how important my BSW and MSW were. I pulled from every lesson, every word and pracNced social work on a whole new level. It is one thing to see a small group of people move through trauma, it is a completely different thing to watch an enNre community walk around in shock and move through trauma. I am grateful for the simple things and realize how quickly we can lose everything. Lake County is resilient, Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Valley are strong, they will rebuild.
This is my story, I was fortunate to not have been effected physically, my family has been forever been changed, each of us. My friend’s son was okay, having only narrowly escaped the “monster”. My employee, well I later learned that his
wife was in Stockton, he was home alone with his daughters and father-‐in-‐law and he really was woken by my text. He described driving down the highway with everything around him on fire and his wife on the cell phone, 3 hours away, devastated and worried, another teary, grateful moment. Slowly the community is healing. Slowly people are healing, it will take some Nme but it will happen, so much lose, so many stories. _______________________________________________________________________
Trisha Robinson, MSW Student Lake County Resident
My name is Trisha Robinson and I am a senior in the DL BASW Program due to graduate in May 2016. My hope is to obtain my MSW and conNnue my educaNon as far as it will take me, as the sky is the limit. I was born and raised in Mendocino County and now reside in rural Lake County. I am currently working at ScoUs Valley Band of Pomo Indians with their aWerschool program as a youth mentor. My internship this year is with Lake County Tribal Health ConsorNum in their Human Service Department. I love my internship here for many reasons. The most important is the support and guidance I’m receiving in the field. It is one thing to learn through lectures and books but when all of this knowledge is put forth in the field through experience everything comes together like pieces of a puzzle.
IMAGE: Trisha Robinson
I am now 38 years old and decided to come back to college aWer 15 years. By the Nme I was 23 years old, I had 5 children. I have always had a great admiraNon for school and couldn’t wait for the day that I found the courage to apply and succeed. I am a first generaNon college student in my family. I graduated from Mendocino College in 2012 with an AS Degree in Liberal and Sciences with an Emphasis in Social Science and an AA in Sociology. I am proud to say that I graduated with honors through Phi Theta Kappa
Honor Society. My children are up older now and I believe that I have been a role model for them as my three oldest children are in college themselves. I have always told them that educaNon is the golden key to a solid foundaNon. My children have always been my moNvaNon and inspiraNon to do beUer and rise against all odds. Some of the obstacles that I have had in my life is baUling alcoholism, domesNc violence, and homelessness. I have found my path in life and I believe we learn from our life experiences both the hard and blissful Nmes.
The work that I am doing now at Lake County Tribal Health ConsorNum in the Human Service Department consists of working alongside my supervisor, an LCSW, and an MFT. I am very fortunate to have found an agency that takes the Nmes to work with me and help me tread through these new waters. I help with a child play group, aUend a basket making class, and shadow our LCSW among many others tasks. I am so thankful for the wonderful opportuniNes that have been presented to me through Humboldt State University. One thing I have found difficult in living in a rural area, was securing an internship. My hope is that future interns of Humboldt State University in the BASW Distant Learning Program can find internships that are needed in our rural county. Lake County Tribal Health Human Service department is now open to hosNng interns for the future in serving our community of NaNve families. These opportuniNes have been made possible through the wonderful SW program and their staff here at HSU.
I did not have a direct experience to the fires, however, I had family friends and co-‐workers that were affected and evacuated. I evacuated myself and my sisters family but it was not mandatory. It was too close and scary to sit and wait for an evacuaNon plus the smoke was very bad and my sister does not have a vehicle, so we were three cars deep with a lot of belongings. I knew people that had family members and/or friends that lost everything in the fire. It was a very emoNonal Nme for our whole county and I so desperately wanted to do more but found that I couldn't because of my emoNonal state and trying to evacuate my family and my sisters family. I went to Willits to my other sisters house for a couple days, then returned home. Upon my return, my daughter's friend and a family friend stayed with us because of the mandatory evacuaNon. Another friend of mine came and took a shower and was grateful because I gave her some of my clothes and toiletries. She only had enough Nme to grab her pets and no belongings. To be honest, my personal pictures and all of my important papers are sNll packed in boxes in my garage. This disaster has really made an impact on a lot of people and I sNll see the affects today. In fact at my internship site, they are sNll talking about the housing issue in our county. My supervisor was out for a couple weeks because she was evacuated (luckily her home was not destroyed because the fire turned the opposite way).
This is my story, I was fortunate to not have been effected physically, my family has been forever been changed, each of
I am a liUle behind on my intern hours because everything came to holt for a few weeks but I am confident that I will make them up.
Being in the field of social work should have prepared me a bit. I sNll get chills thinking of all the people that were directly affected, it is astonishing and heart breaking to say the least. I do not think there is too much that can physically and emoNonally "prepare" you for a disaster that can cause so much destrucNon. The community did come together wonderfully which is awesome but the lingering feeling of loss is sNll apparent. I did open my home to family friends and helped with emoNonal support. When the need is that great and big, it takes an emoNonal toll on our mind, body, and spirits. I wanted so desperately to reach out and help more people but felt I had reached my limitaNons. It took me a while to find my strength again which was challenging because of the emoNonal drainage. Again, the staff and faculty at HSU was very understanding, helpful, and accommodaNng to this disaster, especially Jamie and the others that made the trip with supplies and those who coordinated the donaNons. A huge hug and thank you to everyone! _______________________________________________________________________
Kevin McGeoch, MSW Student Lake County Resident
In the fall semester of 2012 I reenrolled as a fullNme student at Mendocino College. The majority of my classes were completed at a satellite campus known as the Lake Center, in Lake County California. Returning to college aWer taking a few years to find myself was challenging; but, I found that with a more mature perspecNve the academic work was easier and more interesNng. I was introduced to the Humboldt State distance social work program during an introductory Sociology class and later transferred with an AA degree in Sociology to the program.
IMAGE: Kevin McGeoch
I have volunteered and worked for a residenNal substance abuse program as a
counselor and as a Client Support Assistant with Behavioral Health in Lake County. I am truly amazed at how much I have learned about myself, the community, and professional relaNonships over the past few years. I feel that working and volunteering in the field in tangent with my coursework has provided a strong base for my future as a social worker. Currently, I work with Behavioral Health at a drop-‐in center geared towards serving NaNve American community members. I am also compleNng an internship with Inter-‐Tribal Council of California, which is an organizaNon that provides support for tribes throughout California. An aspect of my internship is implemenNng an empowerment program for youth. The goal is to collect data from meeNngs I facilitate to evaluate outcomes of having a culturally driven program for NaNve American youth.
I hope to further my educaNon by compleNng a master’s program in social work and follow up with licensure as a clinical social worker. Although I am uncertain of any specific goals, I would like to conNnue working for and with tribal communiNes and possibly found a non-‐profit providing diverse services somewhere in Northern California.
There were three major fires over the course of a few months in the Lake County area. The community, families, and individual community members have all experienced some level of disrupNon. I recall seeing hundreds if not thousands of people displaced the evening and morning aWer the Valley fire began, the most destrucNve of the fires. For miles the air looked like a nuclear explosion had went off, it was difficult to breathe, see, or even be outside. This scene went on for at least a week with more evacuaNons, loss of property, homes, and even human life. As more informaNon was released, it quelled some of the speculaNon and disinformaNon as a result of a traumaNc and hecNc situaNon; but, the press releases were not the bearers of good news.
I recall travelling into the affected areas the first day the roads had been reopened, and had difficulty recognizing stretches of road I drove for a few years commuNng to work. I saw individuals arriving to their properNes for the first Nme aWer they had been evacuated. It was hard to watch as people began returning to the ashes that once were their homes, siWing through feet of charred remains hoping just to find one keepsake. Even now, months aWer containment of the fire, community members conNnue to experience challenges and struggles from this event. In both my professional and personal life I’ve had a few conversaNons this month, November, with people experiencing difficulty in the transformaNon of their lives.
Events like this fire have occurred throughout the state and our country, and the consequences will be an important issue we will need to address as communiNes.
Terri Gonzalvez, MSW Student Lake County Resident
IMAGE: Terri Gonzalvez
The Valley Fire has been declared the 3rd worst fire in the history of California. This devastaNng fire started on Cobb Mountain and ignited the thick brush and trees that have become so dry from the years long drought we have had. This made for perfect fuel for the fire and when it combined with the high winds of that day, we had a firestorm. This fire spread so rapidly that there wasn’t even enough Nme to evacuate the areas properly. Many people didn’t even receive evacuaNon orders at all but saw the fire coming and ran. Others evacuated but ran into the fire on the way out. Some were trapped and barely escaped alive. SNll others tragically didn’t make it out in Nme. I would like to share some of the experiences of our community with you.
The fire spread so rapidly that there wasn’t Nme to do anything except get out and leave the area. The people on Cobb were lucky to even get their families & pets and escape. Many families were not able to rescue their pets at all. The fire tore through that area extremely quickly burning many homes and destroying approximately 80% of the forest land. Four firefighters that were dropped into the area in the first stages of the fire were severely burned aWer they deployed their protecNve shelters in the middle of the inferno. The fire raged down the mountain and destroyed most of the homes in Anderson Springs and killing two residents. It was moving so quickly and ferociously that firefighters couldn’t even begin to contain it at this point. The only thing they could do was to try and save lives. The fire conNnued its brutal march toward Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake and reached the area much quicker than esNmated. Thousands of residents were trying to leave the area and traffic was very backed up. People were driving through the fire to escape. Cars were catching fire and burning to the ground. People were jumping out of the burning cars and others were picking them up in the middle of the blaze. My daughter lives in Middletown and as she was evacuaNng she called me to update me on her progress. The wind was so strong
and hot she was terrified. I could hardly hear her over the roaring wind. She sat in traffic with the fire moving in behind her for an hour. It was chaos. One family in Hidden Valley couldn’t escape so they jumped in their swimming pool to survive. The fire moved so fast that it only took 15 minutes to burn through their property. A friend of mine got caught in the horse arena at another friend’s house and was trapped. She was finally rescued by the sheriff’s department. There were many people who narrowly escaped the fire with horrendous stories of their evacuaNon. It is hard to describe how intense, dangerous and destrucNve that this fire was. In the end, the fire burned 76,067 acres, 1280 single family homes, 27 mulN-‐family structures, 66 commercial properNes and 585 minor structures. It injured four firefighters and killed four civilians. The number of livestock and pets killed is uncounted but tragic and many others are missing or roaming around alone and frightened. The community is devastated.
The community response to this disaster has been amazing. As soon as the evacuaNons were ordered several sites set up to serve as evacuaNon centers. Community members brought donaNons and volunteered their Nme to help. The outpouring of compassion and support was simply incredible. So many donaNons were brought from many areas that they reached capacity and had to ask people to stop bringing supplies. I am very proud to be a part of a community that cares so much about each other and is willing to step forward to help those in need.
The community is now faced with a housing crisis. There are people who are leW homeless and cannot find a rental. There are currently about 80 people, including children, that are living in tents in the Hidden Valley campground. Many others are living rv’s or other temporary situaNons. A soluNon is being sought now. With winter coming and the rains starNng, it is criNcal that we find adequate housing for them.
On a more personal note, I had a very difficult Nme trying to stay on top of my studies and help my daughter, her family and my friends and community members. I felt that I needed to help and spent quite a lot of Nme at the Moose Lodge, one of the biggest evacuaNon centers. Because the vicNms fled with only the clothes on their backs, they needed help. I wanted to help in any way that I could. They also needed to talk about the trauma that they had experienced. My instructors were very supporNve and helped me through the situaNon without it harming my grades much. I really appreciate their support throughout the ordeal.