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It’s hard to believe that we are just now starting what is traditionally our ‘fire season’ here in San Marcos. After what we experienced with the fires in May, it is easy to think, ‘We are done’…’We had our disaster’…’We are safe’.

But are we? Will we experience more Santa Ana conditions in the coming weeks? Probably. Will we experience more wildfire threats? Maybe.

It feels like this entire year has been ‘fire season’ here in California. For most of California, 2013 was the driest year in recorded history. And, 2014 isn’t looking much better – so far.

If you’ve lived here any length of time, you’ve experienced drought conditions before, but it seems that conditions like these haven’t been seen before in California’s recorded history – which is a bit unnerving, especially at this time of year.

Water. It is one of our most precious resources. And yet, it is so easy to take for granted because it shows up every time you turn on the faucet.

But, let’s be honest. How many times have you not realized a sprinkler head was broken and wondered how long it had been watering your neighbor’s car or the sidewalk? How many times have you left the water running waiting for it to warm up? How much does your water bill increase at this time of year just to keep your landscape looking decent?

The cool thing about water is that it connects all of us. As a community, it truly is one of our most shared resources. We all pay for it. We all use it. We all benefit from it.

And, if our access to it shrinks, it shrinks for all of us.

In August, Vallecitos Water District Board of Directors unanimously voted to move to a Level 2 Drought Alert. This means mandatory water-use restrictions for all Vallecitos customers for the foreseeable future. This will help San Diego County keep as much water as possible in storage for 2015.

What does that mean for you and me as residents?

Well, first of all, it means we all work together to raise water awareness – to value our water just a little bit more. It also means we start to spread the word to others and to report water waste when necessary. And, it means it’s time for each of us to get a little smarter about conservation.

The good news is that we have access to many conservation programs and resources here in San Marcos, so it’s easy to get educated and to have an impact.

The Cocos Fire helped all of us see what ‘proactive preparedness’ can mean in a natural disaster. We witnessed a well-executed plan and became much more aware of what goes on behind-the-scenes here in our community.

At the community Thank You event hosted by the City of San Marcos after the Cocos Fire, it was fascinating to hear how resources were gathered and distributed – especially water – and how the response to the fires began long before the first flame even sparked.

As soon as the Santa Ana conditions were forecasted, Vallecitos Water District began to fill all of their tanks and reservoirs to capacity. It’s one of many precautionary procedures that goes on behind-the-scenes that most of us take for granted.

From there….

What we as residents learned from the fires was: the importance of creating a defensible space around our homes, having an evacuation plan, and why we should listen to authorities during a disaster and get out of their way so they can implement their defense without obstacles.

The question is – will we do the same when it comes to water?

It’s such a simple task to preserve water, if we all just do a little bit. If we each comply with the mandatory restrictions, if we help report water waste, and if we get a little smarter about sustainability –  we just might get to witness a well-executed response to a serious threat in our water supply. And, we just might be one of a few cities in California to rise to the top as an inspiration to the rest of the state in how a community can come together to preserve and to SHARE resources.

Are you in?

Let’s make San Marcos not only home to an amazing school district and vast array of educational resources, not just a City with a fantastic fire and safety response system, but also a proactive, well-informed population that cares not only for today, but for the future. To be recognized as a diverse community willing to work together to protect our most valued resources, improve our sustainability, and leave a positive footprint for the next generation.

A lot of it has already started – all you have to do is jump in!

How often do you cruise along Discovery Street? Have you ever wondered about that little pink house that sits on the corner of Discovery and Via Vera Cruz? (Or at least that where it was sitting until a few weeks ago). Back in May, if you drove along Discovery, you were probably even more puzzled to watch as the house was lifted and moved down the street away from the corner.

Why? What is the significance of this house? Why was it moved?

We talked with Tanis Brown at the San Marcos Historical Society and learned a little bit about the history of this house where they refer to it as the Meyer/Doran House. It was built around 1889 by Wilhelm Meyer. He was a widow and father of four and his daughter Emma inherited the property after his death around 1906.

After the house was built, a man named William Doran approached Mr. Meyer about subletting some of the property around the Meyer house. Eventually, Doran managed the entire property.

The Meyer house made news one year when Doran got in a scuffle with one of his partners – Gus Eliason. Eliason had a reputation for drinking too much and on this particular day, he and Doran got into a quarrel. During the scuffle, Eliason was shot and died three days later. No one knows exactly what happened that day, but Doran was acquitted of the crime a few months later and his reputation recovered quickly. In 1912, he married Meyer’s daughter, Emma, who owned the property and in 1917, he was elected to the state Assembly.

Today the City owns this property, which sits within the area planned for the Creekside District. There aren’t many of these original farm houses left in San Marcos, so the pink house is being saved. As the City prepares to begin improvements on the Via Vera Cruz bridge, the house had to be moved. So, it was lifted off of its foundation and moved away from the corner.

Plans have been developed to transform the area surrounding the pink house into park and trail space. And, while several options are being considered for the future use of the pink house itself, there are currently no plans in place. Only time will tell.

For now, the little house sits as a bridge between the past and the future of San Marcos.

We will not soon forget what happened here in San Marcos starting May 14, 2014 as the Cocos Fire swept through our City. It’s one of those major events that we will refer to for years to come.

As I pulled out of the gates in my own neighborhood off of Echo Lane at 3:30PM that afternoon to drive into San Elijo Hills, I saw the black plumes of smoke. And my heart sank. After a day of following the fires in Carlsbad and Camp Pendleton, it wasn’t hard to quickly understand the threat these flames raging just behind CSUSM represented.

What I didn’t realize is just how fast this threat would consume not only our hills, but our lives.

As I drove into San Elijo Hills and looked back over the hill, I could see why residents there would be terrified. They couldn’t see the source of the flames, but the smoke coming over the hill was ominous.

I instinctively knew it would be best to go back home, so I continued my drive down San Elijo Rd. and back into my neighborhood the back way – driving up Rancho Santa Fe and through the Lake toward Discovery. By the time I reached Craven Rd. – the evacuations had already begun.

I had left home only 30 minutes before and already my neighborhood was a ghost town. A quick check on the City of San Marcos Facebook page confirmed it – mandatory evacuation.

I’ve lived in San Marcos for 20 years, so this wasn’t my first evacuation. The fires back in 1996 when we lived on Goldfinch Way were my first experience of what fires can do to here in San Marcos. Next were the fires that caused the evacuation of our home in San Elijo Hills in 2007. Through each of these experiences, we have learned what we will take with us in an emergency and how to react swiftly without panic.

Even so, on this particular day, I was home alone with only our 2-seater car, which meant, I wouldn’t be taking much beyond the laptops and the dog. My phone was ringing with friends checking in. And texts were pouring in from my family as we confirmed our rendezvous location.

As I pulled out of the driveway, staring at the thick smoke behind our house, I paused for a moment – grateful to know my family was safe and confident we’d return home soon.

On Thursday, after watching dozens of hours of news frenzy and hearing the stats of the fire steadily increase from 400 to 1000+ acres and climbing, after reading hundreds of posts from friends via Facebook, and falling behind on work, it was getting stressful.

I decided to take a drive down San Marcos Blvd to pick up my daughter’s car, which was parked off of Knoll Rd.

And, that’s when it all sank in.

As I stood in the parking lot near Starbucks, I could see the structures standing on the scorched hillside. I watched the helicopters circling overhead as they scooped up water from Lake San Marcos and made their way back to the flames.

The orchestration of the response. The evacuations. The emergency personnel. There was no chaos. Instead of feeling like we were in the midst of an unexpected emergency, it became quite obvious that we were witnessing a response that had been well-planned.

That’s when the gratitude starts to sink in. That’s when you recognize the value of being part of a community. The value of sharing. Knowing our sheriff deputies were guarding our evacuation zones. Knowing our firefighters were skillfully keeping the fire from devouring our neighborhoods. Knowing our City was orchestrating the necessary emergency statuses and external resources.

I personally have a great deal of pride in our City – for so many reasons. Our schools and educational opportunities. Our parks and trails. Our public safety. Our City leadership and staff. And, as devastating as this fire has been, it’s also been a perfect example of why I am so proud to live here.

Not only did we rally through the emergency response, but today, we continue to rally in the after-math. The clean up. The recovery. The response of residents who are raising funds for the families who lost their homes. The thank you notes and posters and gifts pouring into our local fire stations. The way that this disaster has brought us all together has been nothing short of amazing.

We will no doubt learn new lessons through this experience about how to be better prepared for an evacuation, where to go for information, and how to give back. And, the only way to get the most from this experience is to SHARE it with each other.

Here are a few of my favorite lessons, but I’d love to hear directly from you. Leave some of your own comments, thoughts and experiences in the comments below, so we can learn from each other.

Thanks for making San Marcos such a great place to live.

Disaster Preparedness

Stuff We All Know (but rarely do):

• Have a plan.
• Talk with your family about where you will meet should you be separated in a disaster.
• Have an emergency kit for each person in your family in an easily accessible place.
• For a list of items to include, click here.

Additional Things to Think About:

• Pets. What’s your plan if you can’t get home to them? What’s your plan if you have to take them with you? What local resources do you have for boarding in an emergency? Are they current with their vaccinations?
• Kids. Pack an activity bag for each of your children – fun things to do when you may not have electricity or when you’re stuck in a hotel room for days.
• Sanity. Make a list of items you will take with you. Put it in the emergency kit so that if you have time to prepare, you can gather those items and not rely on your memory when the stress of an evacuation sets in.

Emergency Information Sources

It’s easy to get caught up in the news frenzy during an emergency – which often only feeds the chaos and your own fear. Throughout the Cocos Fire, these local resources kept me consistently informed so I could remain grounded in facts without the drama.

• The City of San Marcos Website
• The City of San Marcos Facebook Page
• 2-1-1
• Register for Reverse 9-1-1
• Updates from www.sdcountyemergency.com

How to Say Thank You!

Most people feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude when a disaster is over. How do you give back or say thanks?

• Identify a family in need and rally friends to provide donations and support
• Make a poster or hand-written thank you note to first-responders
• Host a neighborhood gathering and invite local firefighters and sheriff deputies to attend. (Developing a strong sense of community among neighbors is one of the best things you can do for disaster preparedness).
• Commit to preparedness. The more prepared you are for an emergency, the easier it is for our first responders. Make sure you have a defensible space around your home. Establish a neighborhood watch program. Have a comprehensive emergency plan and kit in place. Be prepared to volunteer. Get CPR/First Aid Certified.
• Never forget. Take the time to give respect and gratitude to local firefighters and sheriff deputies even when there is no active disaster – a smile, a thank you, and a silent promise to yourself to be a good citizen to make their lives just a little easier.

Below are some of the photos sent to us from residents throughout San Marcos – before, during, and after the fires.