We were enjoying a typical evening that night. We were cooking; we were lounging; I was studying. And then, suddenly, mild chaos broke out. There was banging on doors; residents evacuating; emergency personnel running about -- all to a backdrop of very real, very intimidating flames.
As we were evacuating, firefighters were already on the scene. Although the fire was raging, it was still only affecting one apartment. I thought that it would be contained quickly, that the damage would be limited, and that we would be back in our homes that night. Apparently, the protocol for firefighting doesn't start with water on flames. There are safety precautions; time consuming ones. It was at least a half an hour from arrival on scene to actual fire fighting. Coupled with the fact that the fire hydrants were poorly placed to fight a fire in our building, containing the fire turned out to be an uphill battle. It is a very strange feeling to watch your home be engulfed by flames. Ultimately, it took many hours to control and eliminate the fire. And several days before we were permitted back inside our apartment.
That night was surreal, but so was the aftermath. Home fires are fairly common, but there is something very odd about having to pick your life up after one. Looking back though, God blessed us tremendously throughout the situation. We had no actual flame damage in our apartment, nearly all of what we lost was due to water damage. And, although we did lose a lot, if the firefighters had not covered our home in tarps, we would have lost so much more. In the days following the fire, we had so much help and support from friends and family. People offered time, money, lodging. There was never a point that we were frightened that we would be without. The vendors we worked with were overwhelmingly incredible. Even our insurance agent was amazing (who says that?!). The fact that we were able to go from homeless to home in record time is attributable to the team of support he brought to the situation.
Of course I have gripes. The timing was awful and sent my academic/professional life into turmoil. But even the law school was understanding and supportive. And, although the company who cleaned our clothes and linen did an excellent job, they lost at least $700 worth of clothing. But for most of that we have been compensated.
We walk away from this knowing that even though something bad and inconvenient happened, God remained in control. He supplied every need that we had, and then some. He has brought us closer together as a couple and caused us to conquer issues that have been present nearly since the beginning of our relationship. We have more faith in God and love for each other having endured this. Lesson learned: God is bigger than any problem that we face. If only it were a lesson I could remember.
-- Mya
As we were evacuating, firefighters were already on the scene. Although the fire was raging, it was still only affecting one apartment. I thought that it would be contained quickly, that the damage would be limited, and that we would be back in our homes that night. Apparently, the protocol for firefighting doesn't start with water on flames. There are safety precautions; time consuming ones. It was at least a half an hour from arrival on scene to actual fire fighting. Coupled with the fact that the fire hydrants were poorly placed to fight a fire in our building, containing the fire turned out to be an uphill battle. It is a very strange feeling to watch your home be engulfed by flames. Ultimately, it took many hours to control and eliminate the fire. And several days before we were permitted back inside our apartment.
That night was surreal, but so was the aftermath. Home fires are fairly common, but there is something very odd about having to pick your life up after one. Looking back though, God blessed us tremendously throughout the situation. We had no actual flame damage in our apartment, nearly all of what we lost was due to water damage. And, although we did lose a lot, if the firefighters had not covered our home in tarps, we would have lost so much more. In the days following the fire, we had so much help and support from friends and family. People offered time, money, lodging. There was never a point that we were frightened that we would be without. The vendors we worked with were overwhelmingly incredible. Even our insurance agent was amazing (who says that?!). The fact that we were able to go from homeless to home in record time is attributable to the team of support he brought to the situation.
Of course I have gripes. The timing was awful and sent my academic/professional life into turmoil. But even the law school was understanding and supportive. And, although the company who cleaned our clothes and linen did an excellent job, they lost at least $700 worth of clothing. But for most of that we have been compensated.
We walk away from this knowing that even though something bad and inconvenient happened, God remained in control. He supplied every need that we had, and then some. He has brought us closer together as a couple and caused us to conquer issues that have been present nearly since the beginning of our relationship. We have more faith in God and love for each other having endured this. Lesson learned: God is bigger than any problem that we face. If only it were a lesson I could remember.
-- Mya