What Happened??

In mid-June 2012 there was a wild fire, referred to as the, “Dump Fire” that burned more than 5,000

acres and came within a half mile of their home and neighborhood, leaving what is known as a burn

scar. All families were evacuated, and no one sustained any personal injury or fire damage.

The McManus Family, along with 10 other families experienced a life altering disaster, September

1, 2012. There was a storm that caused flash flooding and mudslides on the burn scar. The

mudslide caused varying degrees of damage to 11 homes in the Jacob’s Ranch neighborhood,

with the McManus’ home and belongings being one of the more seriously affected. The fact that

this happened to a small number of homes means that these families cannot qualify for Federal or

State Government assistance. Had they had a flood insurance rider on their homeowners policy it

wouldn’t have covered their losses, because insurance companies are not considering it a flood, they

are classifying it as “earth movement.” Due to the nature of the mud, containing animal feces, ash,

and other contaminates, and the magnitude of it, ranging in depth from six inches to ceiling level and

completely covering personal property, they were unable to salvage anything that it touched.

I have joined with other volunteers, (there have been over 5,000 volunteers who worked around the

clock the entire Labor Day weekend). The volunteers helped dig and bucket out the mud, throw out

damaged sheetrock, insulation, flooring, appliances, furniture, clothing, bedding, electronics, food,

long term food storage, and a whole host of countless other personal property. There were others

that helped by feeding volunteers and families, donating food and clothing, and sending money from

afar.