Posted from my phone.

Hey readers. I’m still in the grips of dealing with the devastation visited upon both my family and my hometown (and for a terrifying read of what the community has undergone, see this news story)

Now that the news hounds have died down a little bit, having gotten their story through official channels (rather than pestering me and my family on social media), I can probably talk a little more about this on the site, but I only want to do so for the right reasons, and not to feed the news media. Unfortunately, due to prior negative behavior on the part of the press, and their inability to check legal text at the bottom of a website, I’ll have to state clearly right here and now that they are not allowed to use or take anything from what I’m about to write. I wish I didn’t have to say that, but it’s clear from events that occurred during this that some didn’t give a single thought to their actions.

The short summary of events is this: My father has passed on. I will miss him terribly. The events that led to his passing also obliterated completely and utterly my parent’s entire property, as well as the property of their neighbors across the street. This means home, vehicles, trees, garages and shops … All of it was eradicated. A massive mudslide scoured the earth down to the bedrock. Nothing was untouched.

My mother miraculously survived. You can listen to her account of events in an interview she offered here (it’s the same one I linked previously).

Search and Rescue is still on site, as one individual is still unaccounted for. Worse, the area is still dangerous, and numerous nearby homes have evacuated and may never return. See the account of our neighbors I linked above for more on that.

There’s a lot on my family’s plate right now. The GoFundMe for those impacted by the slide is still open, and if you’re feeling charitable I’d urge you to donate to it. You can also donate directly to our local Alaska First Bank Branch, whose number is here (not typed just so bots don’t start spamming them).

Everything in my life is on hold right now as I and my family struggle to deal with the impact of this disaster. I will stress that my family is not the only one that’s been struck by this. My heart is grieving for the Heller family, who were our neighbors for most of my life, and whose lives were cut short by this horrific moment. Many families have abandoned their homes, unsure of when, if ever, they’ll be able to return. The future of the entire mountainside, miles of it, is in question.

It feels unreal some days. Nigh overwhelming on others. I’m sure I’ll speak at length in the future on this topic, once I have time to dig in and tell the full version of things, both because I know many want to know, but also because I suspect writing it will be helpful to be in my own recovery from grief.

At this point I do wish to make an aside from this update and thank everyone who has reached out with words, prayers, and other forms of support. My inbox on every service has been flooded with messages from people sharing kind words. I and my family have been offered so much aid it’s difficult to keep track of it all. The fridge in our temporary domicile is filled to bursting with home-cooked meals, each one delivered with hugs and tearful memories of those lost.

It’s so overwhelming it’s nigh impossible to reply to everyone (though I’ve certainly tried), so I’ll say it here for all to (hopefully) see: Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. For everything, from food to fasts to prayers to memories and kind words.

As usual, this post is already far longer than I initially intended to be. The words sort of started and didn’t stop coming for a bit. I’m no stranger to putting a bit of news before a Being a Better Writer post. But the subject of the news is … Well, not something I’d ever expected to write.

Apparently you can’t make a divider line with the mobile tools, so this text will have to do.

This week’s Being a Better Writer is a revisited classic from six years ago, a discussion of Horizontal and Vertical storytelling. If you’ve never heard of those terms, then today is your lucky day. If you read it all those years ago, a refresher can’t hurt. Hit the link!

Being a Better Writer: Horizontal and Vertical Storytelling.

Enjoy.