We suffered four noticeable aftershocks this morning- nothing that sent us running from the house but the earth definitely made herself felt. The 3.9 aftershock was a biggie. Nothing fell but Jake jumped on the bed again.
We are lucky. So many homes and businesses are red-tagged. So many Napa residents still have no water and power. In the midst of a drought water mains are pouring water down the streets. Repair crews are everywhere and they’ve come from everywhere, but still- these repairs take time.
It’s only today, two days after the big quake, that inspectors have realized some of our bridges are damaged. They’ll be closed off and on, for months I suspect.
Napa itself is a small town. We know each other. Our kids grew up together, played sports together, we volunteer together. My sister asked, “Is there looting?” I laughed. “Of course there’s no looting! It’s Napa! A looter would run into his neighbor sweeping up broken glass. Or his daughter’s boyfriend, or his son’s baseball coach. Of course there’s no looting.”
Don’t mistake Napa for Napa Valley. Yes, we live in the Napa Valley but we are Napa. We’re our own small town and we like it that way. We are close, we are neighbors, we are friends.
Whenever I travel and people ask where I’m from and I say Napa, they inevitably ask- “Oh, do you own a vineyard?”
Always makes me laugh. No, we don’t own a vineyard. The vast majority of Napans do not own a vineyard but many many people work for and with the wineries. The wineries too are our neighbors and the owners are our friends.
Maybe it’s a lost art, but we Napans take care of each other. All our stories are of neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers cleaning debris, young people escorting old people to safety, doctors and nurses ignoring the damage to their own homes to help the injured at the local hospital. We human beings do rise to the occasion, don’t we.
We are grateful. The situation could have been so much worse. Streets can be fixed. No one was killed.
Thank you for your calls, your emails and your prayers. Now, pray for Browns Valley Market- our wonderful neighborhood store and gathering place that is a mere 200 yards from our house (as the crow flies). It’s a ruin. And pray for all the people still in limbo - house, business, jobs… waiting to see if they’ll have one.
Love, Julia
I’m so glad you guys are safe. How scary.
I’m glad to hear y’all are okay, Julia! Sending peaceful thoughts your way. Stay safe!
Thanks Amber, thanks Juli. We’re good.
Ten minutes of terror and months of recovery. Blessings on all of you. It takes so long to recover. My prayers and thoughts are with you.
And the beauty is that while you will remember the destruction for awhile…you will always feel the little acts of grace, the joining of hands and hearts to help each other…the moments that reminded you that basic goodness trumps the bad.
I’m very grateful you, your family, Jake, your friends and neighbors are okay, Julia.
It’s so true, Marylin. We sort of feel inspired. Just when our town was beginning to seem a little overrun by tourists we all came together. But boy oh boy, the losses downtown. I suspect we’ll lose most of the historic buildings.
Thank you, Anny. It’s kind of like 40 seconds of terror except I’ve been more terrified. But that’s just me. Some people are still terrified. They can’t sleep at night, waiting for the next shake.
Julia, I’m so sorry for what’s happened in your area. We’ve been traveling, helping our grandson move to Orange, Ca. where he’s starting his first year at Chapman U. When I heard about the earthquake, a day after we passed through San Francisco, I didn’t connect that this was in your area. Wishing you and your community a quick recovery. Glad that you live in a place where everyone cares about one another.
Thanks Diana! And good luck to your grandson!