Special Edition: Notes from the President — Tragedies in California

Prayer, support — and generosity 

Like many of you, I’ve been greatly concerned by the recent disasters that have dominated the news here in California. Last week we woke up to the shocking reports of a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, a community that for years has defined what a safe, suburban community looks like. And as reports verified that 12 innocent people died that night, we were reminded once again of how fragile life is.

The next day, exploding seemingly within hours, two of the largest fires in California’s history were raging in the northern and southern parts of the state. I cringe any time I see images of smoke clouds accompanied by the unmistakable burnt-orange glow in the sky, whether those images are shown by the media or seen in the sky overhead. Unfortunately those images are happening with increasing frequency!

Northern California’s Camp Fire has already become the deadliest and most destructive fire in state history. At the time I write this, nearly 50 lives have been lost and several hundred residents are still missing. In the town of Paradise, most businesses and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. There are nearly 300 Loma Linda University Health alumni with their family members living in the area. Many of them work for Adventist Health Feather River hospital, operated by our sister organization Adventist Health. 

Stories continue to emerge about heroic actions taken by Feather River employees to save their patients. I am simply in awe as I hear these accounts. These brave men and women personally evacuated 67 patients when seconds were critical. These resourceful employees used any means at their disposal to move their patients to safety, including their own personal vehicles. Their efforts not only saved lives, they personified compassion and bravery at a time when it would have been safer and easier to evacuate themselves. They cared for their patients at their own personal risk, and that type of bravery and faith is moving.

Several of the hospital’s outer buildings were lost, but the main hospital building still stands. The Adventist school in Paradise lost its K-4 classroom building, and the Paradise Seventh-day Adventist Church was completely destroyed. At this time, many of our alumni are still trying to determine the status of their homes, though it’s certain many have lost virtually everything.

Imagine a day where you lose your home, your child’s school, your place of employment and your house of worship in just hours. The residents of Paradise will be dealing with that reality for weeks and months to come. 

Additionally, extreme Santa Ana winds have pushed the Woolsey Fire from southern Simi Valley through the rugged canyons of the Santa Monica mountains down to the beaches of Malibu. We have about 340 alumni and their families living in this region. Undoubtedly many were faced with evacuating their homes for several days while the fire jumped freeways and mountain ridges. While the Seventh-day Adventist regional headquarters building in Westlake Village was not directly threatened, a number of meetings scheduled to be held there were relocated to other places in Southern California.

The spirit of prayer, support and generosity is an integral part of the Loma Linda University Health community. I urge each of you to join me in prayer for the Thousand Oaks shooting victims and their families, and for those whose lives and futures have been shaken by the two massive wildfires. 

Here are some ways you can give direct financial help for fire relief:

• Adventist Health has established a Fire Assistance Fund at adventisthealth.org/giving.

• The American Red Cross is collecting funds to aid California wildfire victims at its website.

• The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Northern California Conference has a disaster response fund at nccsda.com. 

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH
President
Loma Linda University Health