Picture taken from the roof of our house before we evacuated.
Dear friends, we are safe in Denver at some good friends. Our neighborhood is in the pre-evacuation zone southwest of Monument. Along with 32,000 evacuees, Wendy and I are staying close to the news to hear of how the Waldo Canyon Fire is spreading. We sure appreciate your notes of encouragement and your prayers. Those prayers have been working!
I’m disturbed by how the media is handling the flow of information. It must be difficult for you to analyze the situation from a distance. The evacuations were on and off all day long yesterday, and Monument appeared to be “off the map.” Douglas and Teller Counties seemed to be taking things much more seriously, announcing pre-evacuations ahead of what was obviously the path of the fire. Palmer Lake – north of us – was on pre-evacuation before we were. At 1:00 pm Monument finally went on pre-evacuation. By then, we were practically pulling out of our driveway with three vehicles and all 16 of us. We could see flames from a distance, and we weren’t taking any chances.
The original prediction for yesterday was 20% chance of rain with gusts of wind, an exact replica of the day before that broke fire lines and ravaged Colorado Springs. God sent a huge amount of rain north of the fire, very likely saving the area from another Tuesday. The weather predictions have cooled considerably, down to the mid-80s, and more rain is predicted. Still, with rain comes wind and lightning, and a 30% prediction in these parts typically mean not much moisture.
We’ll stay close to the news today. And close to your hearts, I’m sure. Thank you for your prayers!
Here’s the latest map, not updated yet this morning. We are on the south end of the Monument zone:
UPDATE 12:15 PM 7/28/12:
The fire map was released to the media at 8am this morning showing only a 10% increase in the fire’s growth. Several factors contributed to this, arguably the firefighters, the military, and God. As we were pulling out of our city yesterday afternoon, God sent humidity and cooler temperatures to help relieve the efforts in Colorado Springs. This morning Wendy and I decided to take the kids back home for the time being. Our entire neighborhood is still in pre-evacuation alert, so we have everything ready to roll if we get the call. Please keep praying for continued rain and cooler weather.
Thank you Dave and Tabby Webb for hosting us for the night! We sure enjoyed the fellowship. You are awesome friends!
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