Our thoughts and prayers from the News-Press staff are with those affected by the wildfires in the Panhandle area.
The devastation from those fires is heart breaking. With social media more prevalent than ever, a lot of us see the photos and videos. To hear of events such as those from word of mouth can be sad, but seeing the visuals makes it all the more real and heart breaking.
We constantly saw the news reports of zero containment in the various fires throughout the Panhandle and the acreage amount continued to increase. Writing this column on a Tuesday afternoon, a majority of fires have been contained except a handful. More than a million acres have been burned.
Truly a devastating sight and much of the West Texas residents even noticed the smell of smoke and a slight haze from the fires this past week. Seeing reports of fatalities, homes, livelihoods and businesses destroyed is something we never want to see.
Many of our community members are a part of the agricultural industry and I have seen those people hoping and praying for the best for our neighbors up north. It takes all of us to keep our day-to-day lives going.
I have learned a lot during my time in this position covering news. I have learned how important it is for neighbors to help neighbors. We are not booming cities with large amounts of resources and manpower in West Texas and in the Panhandle.
I hope for the best for our first responders and emergency personnel who are fighting the fires in that area and hope for the best for the other agencies who have sent personnel to assist in limiting the damage.
A large number of groups and individuals are sending resources to the area and I encourage those who would like to lend a helping hand to assist. The News-Press will be providing a story in the upcoming Sunday issue of groups or people offering their assistance to the area.
I encourage everyone to sign up for the Levelland and Hockley County Emergency Management Notification System to receive notifications in emergency situations. You may not feel the need for it, but when a serious event happens and affects our area it is always best to be informed.