If you have been reading this blog for a long time, you may remember that we had to evacuate our house in 2016 due to extreme wildfires. Last week, a brush fire started five minutes from our house. We had to leave the house at midnight.
Our daughter on the balcony of the condo
The emergency alerts woke us up on the the cell phones. A policeman came to the door, too. The authorities evacuated our neighborhood and the one next to us – not the entire city of Gatlinburg. This brush fire started because of dry conditions, high winds, and downed power lines.
We went to a condo downtown Gatlinburg and tried to sleep. Of course, we could not sleep well. When we woke up, we checked the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page.
No fire in the downtown area – the view from the balcony
Sure enough, the fire had been put out. Some rain helped the firefighters during the night. Thankfully, no injuries or damages were reported. These neighborhoods are wooded. There are a lot of dry leaves and branches on the ground between houses.
It gave us an opportunity to bond with our children, help them pray through a crisis and claim promises of protection. We also showed them technology which can help keep them safe – social media feeds from the city and local agencies, for instance.
We are thankful we are safe and back at home, doing our normal routine. Let’s finish the school year strong!
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