What advice may Californians have for the people in Hawaii, who live on the island of Maui and had to run and literally swim for their lives as the town of Lahaina went up in flames.
With at least three dozen people killed, others injured, and many still in shock and wondering what will happen now, many of us who live here in California know what they must feel.
Here in San Diego County we have had a few of the largest wildfires in the state, fires that spread rapidly in Santa Ana winds, destroyed thousands of homes in each case and killed people who we knew.
We all remember what was called the Camp Fire in 2018, that turned the Northern California town of Paradise into a hell on earth with at least 85 people killed.
The scenes we are seeing from Maui bring back some of those nightmarish memories to many Californians.
It is never easy to recover and re-build after natural disasters, and it will take some time for the many residents and many frequent U.S. visitors to Maui, some from San Diego, before the shock, grief and emotional pain wear off.
Here in California, we have had to do it. The people in Hawaii will do it. But as we’ve learned, disasters bring people together. And the only way to recover from them is to do it together.
(Photo Getty Images)