Evacuated from wildfires, family finds comfort, child care and community at the Y
Just before midnight on Monday, Sept. 7, Jessica McClurg left her house in Vida with her 10-yearold son and two bags.
In the hour before, she had started packing her bags based on the advice of a friend, who knew that a fire was spreading rapidly in the area. She felt scared and panicky hearing the beeping from her phone that alerted her to a Level 3: Go Now! evacuation notice. It had only been 20 minutes since the Level 2 alert: Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
She quickly warned guests at 4 cabins across the street knowing that most people don’t have cell service so deep in the McKenzie River Valley.
Then she turned her car west on Highway 126 not knowing exactly where she was headed and not knowing when or if she would be able to return.
By morning, it was clear that a swift evacuation had been necessary. She is grateful that her family escaped the Holiday Farm Fire that torched the buildings and businesses all around her home. Her boyfriend made his way out of the river valley several hours after Jessica, and it was almost a week before she knew that her boss—whom she calls “Grandpa” because of their close relationship—had survived the wildfire.
“Everything is gone,” she said about her community, which was just next to Blue River. “There is nothing left around my home.”
Jessica had built a lovely lifestyle and support network for herself and her son along the scenic McKenzie River for 6 years. She managed airbnb properties and cleaned homes for renters. Her fifth-grade son attended McKenzie Elementary School, a close-knit learning environment that helped him with his disabilities.
“I am very sad to leave a place I wasn’t ready to leave yet,” she says wistfully.
Jessica’s way of making a living went up in flames when the fire scorched the landscape.
Smoke and ash damage make her home unlivable. Burned trees, destroyed businesses and rebuilding efforts make the region undesirable for tourists.
“There’s nothing there for me now,” she says. “The airbnbs caught on fire, the internet is out and the power lines are all gone. It is a massive effort to rebuild the area.”
But Jessica, an optimist by nature, has turned to the future now. After living in a hotel for 7 weeks, she found a rental house and applied for jobs. She enrolled Rudy in the Eugene Family YMCA’s youth program at Roosevelt Middle School, and the staff there are supporting his online learning through McKenzie Elementary School.
“I was happy that we can still have some of the river—through his school—to take with us while relocating here in Eugene,” she says. “I’m excited for the new adventure.”
She credits the Y with unwavering support during this traumatic transition.
“I was really worried, but Rudy’s been doing amazing,” she says. “I am just really impressed with how Y staff keep him on track in school and make sure he has a good time. He is excited to go in the morning!”
Y staff worked extra hard to ensure Rudy feels welcome and settled since the fall has been so challenging for him.
“The child care program has definitely made life easier for me and Rudy,” Jessica says. “It helps to be surrounded by caring people.”
