Paradise Fire Survivors Matt and Stacy Wood
Donation protected
On November 8th, Matt and Stacy lost their home in the Paradise fire. Matt barely escaped the house with their three cats and just a few survival items he could grab. As he left, red and black soot was raining down. It took him two hours to drive less than 15 miles through choking smoke and ash to safety.
Stacy, who coincidentally works at the Cal-Fire training center, was working at the camp in Magalia. She evacuated but got caught in the traffic gridlock. A bulldozer had to move abandoned vehicles that blocked the road so the cars could escape. The last text Matt received from Stacy before losing contact with her was that fire was on both sides of the road, and "I don't think I am going to make it." Matt didn't hear anything from her for 5 hours, but they finally reunited in Chico.
They were fortunate to find temporary housing, but are having trouble paying for all of the other things they need, such as new clothes, daily necessities, etc. Their insurance company will be paying for only three months of housing, which will pass very quickly. Money was already tight for them. Matt is on disability and receives a very small income from Social Security. Stacy has returned to work, but even this is difficult due to the aftermath of the fire. Just getting to work is not easy, as she cannot drive to the location on her own. Only authorized vehicles are allowed into the area, so she drives to Chico and is transported to the camp. Because of the travel time involved, she stays at the facility four consecutive days a week.
Stacy’s family has a great deal of history in the area. She is a member of the Trinity County Tribe. Her grandmother lived on Hoopa Wintu Tribe Reservation and then in the city of Paradise until she passed away. Her parents lived in the area their entire lives, and purchased the home that was destroyed in 1967. Matt and Stacy bought it from her mom about a year ago, and had been slowly fixing it up in their spare time. Matt feels that all of their hard work was for nothing. His daughter Nina told us about the loss of the art books she made with her dad when she was little. And sadly, items like the furniture Matt’s grandfather made were lost in the fire.
The Wood family had already been dealing with the crisis of Matt's 82-year-old dad being hospitalized with meningitis. Just as he was starting to improve, this tragedy hit. Matt’s mom has tried to help, but has had to concentrate on her husband’s recovery. Raising money for Matt and Stacy will take some of the burden off of her.
You can see a photographs of the fire’s aftermath, as well as Matt, Stacy and their cats:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jackie_wood/c6z983
I hope that you will make a donation to help them while they work to get back on their feet. Thank you in advance for your help.
Jackie Wood
Stacy, who coincidentally works at the Cal-Fire training center, was working at the camp in Magalia. She evacuated but got caught in the traffic gridlock. A bulldozer had to move abandoned vehicles that blocked the road so the cars could escape. The last text Matt received from Stacy before losing contact with her was that fire was on both sides of the road, and "I don't think I am going to make it." Matt didn't hear anything from her for 5 hours, but they finally reunited in Chico.
They were fortunate to find temporary housing, but are having trouble paying for all of the other things they need, such as new clothes, daily necessities, etc. Their insurance company will be paying for only three months of housing, which will pass very quickly. Money was already tight for them. Matt is on disability and receives a very small income from Social Security. Stacy has returned to work, but even this is difficult due to the aftermath of the fire. Just getting to work is not easy, as she cannot drive to the location on her own. Only authorized vehicles are allowed into the area, so she drives to Chico and is transported to the camp. Because of the travel time involved, she stays at the facility four consecutive days a week.
Stacy’s family has a great deal of history in the area. She is a member of the Trinity County Tribe. Her grandmother lived on Hoopa Wintu Tribe Reservation and then in the city of Paradise until she passed away. Her parents lived in the area their entire lives, and purchased the home that was destroyed in 1967. Matt and Stacy bought it from her mom about a year ago, and had been slowly fixing it up in their spare time. Matt feels that all of their hard work was for nothing. His daughter Nina told us about the loss of the art books she made with her dad when she was little. And sadly, items like the furniture Matt’s grandfather made were lost in the fire.
The Wood family had already been dealing with the crisis of Matt's 82-year-old dad being hospitalized with meningitis. Just as he was starting to improve, this tragedy hit. Matt’s mom has tried to help, but has had to concentrate on her husband’s recovery. Raising money for Matt and Stacy will take some of the burden off of her.
You can see a photographs of the fire’s aftermath, as well as Matt, Stacy and their cats:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jackie_wood/c6z983
I hope that you will make a donation to help them while they work to get back on their feet. Thank you in advance for your help.
Jackie Wood
Organizer and beneficiary
Jackie Wood
Organizer
Paradise, CA
Stacy Wood
Beneficiary