Former Firefighter Who Survived Las Vegas Massacre Loses Home to North Bay Fire
Michella Flores is still upbeat following a non-stop week of devastation; her experience as a first responder trained her to compartmentalize rather than fall apart, she said
By Gillian Edevane ••
When Michella Flores hopped off the plane in Oakland, she thought the worst was over. The Santa Rosa woman had just escaped the Las Vegas massacre at a country music festival that left 58 dead and another 500 wounded — the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history. Cheryl Hurd reports.
When Michella Flores hopped off the plane in Oakland, she thought the worst was over. The Santa Rosa woman had just escaped the Las Vegas massacre at a country music festival that left 58 dead and another 500 wounded — the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history.
She had survived by running as fast as she could, taking shelter in a nearby hotel's conference room. The next morning, with the sounds of gunfire etched in her memory, she was desperate to leave Sin City.
"After that, I couldn’t wait to be home," Flores, a flight attendant, said. "I was obsessed with it. That was all I cared about; all I wanted was to be home with my family and my dog."
But her reprieve would be short-lived. Exactly one week later, the Sullivan Street house she shared with her parents erupted in flames, burning to the ground as a spate of wildfires wreaked havoc on the North Bay. Almost everything her family owned — photo albums, clothing, furniture, irreplaceable Christmas ornaments — was destroyed in the blaze.
This time lapse video shows the devastation left behind by the wildfires that tore through the Fountaingrove and Coffey Park neighborhoods.
"I haven’t had a chance to sit down and process everything, really," she said. "I don’t think it’s hit me yet because I’ve been so focused on looking forward and doing what needs to be done."
And there is a lot that needs to be done in the coming weeks, even though her family has moved out of the evacuation center where they were temporarily holed up.
Flores and her parents, who are in their seventies, have been sleeping in a temporary rental. She will need to look for an affordable long-term place to stay, find daycare for her beloved dog, and muster up the energy to complete the seemingly endless array of documents that fire victims are required to fill out to receive assistance.
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
“We’re one of the houses that survived,” the couple, who identified themselves as Jayme and Nancy Bollinger, said. “You look at this devastation, and you feel survivor’s guilt.”
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“You would never think this would happen here,” Jayme Bollinger said. “I was talking to the firemen, and they said, that the fire just came through the green lawns, and the drought resistant plants and the concrete like a monster. It’s evil at its worst.”
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“When we did get to an intersection, the officer was just waving cars through. When we asked, which way do we go, he said, ‘I don’t care, just get out," Nancy Bollinger said.
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Metal lawn furniture that survived the fire.
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
All that remains of Coffey Park is row after row of charred houses, cars and boats.
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
A Coffey Park resident walks her dogs on Thursday evening through deserted neighborhood streets.
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Aluminum from burned car rims streak the sidewalk like some alien life form, glinting in the evening sun.
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Residents said they can't recognize some of the streets. This sign-post is all that's remaining on Mocha Lane.
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
A few blocks down, we came across Hugo and Patty Aguirre, whose house was the first in a block that made it. “It looks like a nuclear explosion, everything is ash,” Hugo Aguirre said. “If you look at pictures of Hiroshima and you look at this, it’s identical.”
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“It was a very nice, middle class neighborhood." Hugo Augirre said. "This was a very close-knit community. We probably are never going to see our neighbors again. It’s just too much.”
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The Aguirres evacuated to the airport Sunday night. When they came back the next morning around 7 a.m., the firefighters were trying to save their house. “We couldn’t believe our house was still standing,” Patty Aguirre said. “We told them, ‘Please save our house!’”
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Firefighters had to sacrifice the house next door to save the Aguirre’s house.
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The rose bush next to the Aguirre's house survived.
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All the garage doors are twisted into heaps.
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The Aguirres said most of the houses on their block went for $600,000 to $700,000. About 40 to 80 houses might have survived, they said, but there’s no official count.
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“I was talking to the firemen, and they said, that the fire just came through the green lawns, and the drought resistant plants and the concrete like a monster. It’s evil at its worst," Jayme Bollinger said.
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A poster glued to a pole on a sidewalk.
Riya Bhattacharjee/NBC Bay Area
Some of the firemen the Aguirres talked to said that five to six houses would be engulfed in flames at the same time. “And they would just go up in flames in 15 to 20 minutes – poof – the wind was so strong,” Patty Aguirre said.
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Residents are worried about what impact the wildfires will have on the regions tourism industry. One of the area’s main hotels, The Hilton Sonoma, was grazed to the ground.
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A beautiful little park and picnic tables – now decimated to dust.
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“It’s bitter-sweet, you feel glad your house survived, but then you feel emotion for all your friends:" Patty and Hugo Aguirre.
"I’ve always been the person that keeps the priorities in mind, and knowing what needs to be done," she said. "That’s who I am. Breaking down isn’t even an option right now. I don’t think of it because I know it just can’t happen. There’s just too much to do."
Her parents, who had moved to Sullivan Street after their first home was foreclosed upon during the Great Recession, were renters. They did not have insurance.
Flores Family
Michella and Krista Flores' parents are in their seventies. They lost everything in a massive blaze that demolished their Santa Rosa home. Both would like to stay in the Bay Area, but rising rents are forcing them to find a new place to live somewhere else. (Oct. 18,2017.)
"We’re not going to be able to afford to stay in the Bay Area," Flores said, matter-of-factly. "That’s just the way it is. It’s killing my mother; she’s in love with Sonoma County. Santa Rosa has been our home for more than 32 years. That’s something I worry about, how this is all going to affect her."
Flores, who previously worked as a firefighter and a police dispatcher, credits her professional history with helping her get through the tragedies. Immediately throwing herself into "work mode," she even helped battle the flames as they tore apart her house. Her experience as a first responder trained her to compartmentalize rather than fall apart, she said.
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Robyn and Daniel Pellegrini search for belongings in the ashes of their home, which was destroyed by fire in the Coffey Park area of Santa Rosa, Calif., Oct. 10, 2017. An onslaught of wildfires across a wide swath of Northern California broke out almost simultaneously then grew exponentially, swallowing up properties from wineries to trailer parks and tearing through both tiny rural towns and urban subdivisions.
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 15: Ed Curzon and his daughter Margaret use sifting trays donated by the Boy Scouts of America to search through the remains of his home for items of emotional importance in the Coffey Park neighborhood on Oct. 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Ed, his wife Karen, and their pets escaped unscathed with few belongings, but lost their home of over 20 years. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 15: Margaret Curzon looks out at the destruction caused by the Tubbs fire while holding items of emotional importance salvaged from her childhood home in the Coffey Park neighborhood on October 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 15: California National Guard troops search burned homes near Mark West Springs Road and Old Redwood Highway on October 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 40 people are confirmed dead, dozens are still missing, and at least 5,700 buildings have been destroyed since wildfires broke out a week ago. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 15: Signs supporting first responders and EMS personnel are seen on a crosswalk over Highway 101 on Oct. 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 15: Signs supporting first responders and EMS personnel are seen on a crosswalk over Highway 101 on Oct. 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 15: A handmade sign is seen on the fence surrounding a makeshift campground for first responders at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Oct. 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 15: Volunteer forensic anthropologist Alexis Boutinn from Sonoma State University, investigates bones found by California National Guardsmen among fire-devastated homes near Mark West Springs Road and Old Redwood Highway on October 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. The bones are believed to be non-human. At least 40 people are confirmed dead, dozens are still missing, and at least 5,700 buildings have been destroyed since wildfires broke out a week ago. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 15: California National Guardsmen find bones at a fire-devastated home near Mark West Springs Road and Old Redwood Highway on October 15, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. After further investigation the bones were thought to be non-human. At least 40 people are confirmed dead, dozens are still missing, and at least 5,700 buildings have been destroyed since wildfires broke out a week ago. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 14: The ruins of houses destroyed by the Tubbs Fire are seen near Fountaingrove Parkway on October 14, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 40 people are confirmed dead with hundreds still missing. Officials expect the death toll to rise, and now estimate that 5,700 structures have been destroyed. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 14: The ruins of houses destroyed by the Tubbs Fire are seen near Fountaingrove Parkway on October 14, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 40 people are confirmed dead with hundreds still missing. Officials expect the death toll to rise, and now estimate that 5,700 structures have been destroyed. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 14: A flag is draped on a burned truck in the fire-devastated Coffey Park neighborhood on October 14, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 32 people are confirmed dead with hundreds still missing. Officials expect the death toll to rise, and now estimate that 5,700 structures have been destroyed. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA -OCTOBER 14: The ruins of houses destroyed by the Tubbs Fire are seen near Fountaingrove Parkway on October 14, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 40 people are confirmed dead with hundreds still missing. Officials expect the death toll to rise, and now estimate that 5,700 structures have been destroyed. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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NAPA, CA - OCTOBER 13: Heather Tiffee (R) wipes her eyes as she looks through the remains of her parents' home after it was destroyed by the Atlas Fire on October 13, 2017 in Napa, California. At least thirty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,500 homes and businesses in several Northern California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SONOMA, CA - OCTOBER 12: A sign thanking firefighters is posted on Highway 12 on October 12, 2017 in Sonoma, California. Twenty four people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,500 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SONOMA, CA - OCTOBER 13: A sign is posted outside Cline Cellars on October 13, 2017 in Sonoma, California. At least thirty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,500 homes and businesses in several Northern California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: A view of hundreds of homes in the Coffey Park neighborhood that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of mobile homes that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire at the Journey's End Mobile Home Park on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: Charred wine barrells sit on racks at Paradise Ridge Winery after being destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. Twenty one people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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SANTA ROSA, CA - OCTOBER 11: An aerial view of a sports field that was charred by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Santa Rosa, California. At least 21 people have died in wildfires that have burned tens of thousands of acres and destroyed over 3,000 homes and businesses in several Northen California counties. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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NAPA, CA -OCTOBER 11: A construction site American flag hangs partly melted among houses in Soda Canyon that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on October 11, 2017 near Napa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 21 people were killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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NAPA, CA - OCTOBER 11: Homes are left completely destroyed by the Tubbs Fire on October 11, 2017 in Napa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 17 people have been killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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NAPA, CA -OCTOBER 11: People wait in vain to be escorted to pick up possessions from their home inside an evacuation zone on October 11, 2017 in Napa, California. Escorts were called for the rest of the day due to lack of available officers. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 21 people were killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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Aerial view on Oct. 11 of the fire devastation from the Napa fire that spread through Sonoma County, Calif.
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NAPA, CA - OCTOBER 11: A house that was destroyed by the Atlas Fire is seen in Soda Canyon on October 11, 2017 near Napa, California. In one of the worst wildfires in state history, more than 2,000 homes have burned and at least 21 people have been killed as more than 14 wildfires continue to spread with little containment in eight Northern California counties. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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Burn scars rest next to a North Bay winery's vineyards on Oct. 10, 2017.
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A sample of the damage caused by wildfires in the North Bay on Oct. 10, 2017.
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A view of the remains of a home that was destroyed by the Nuns Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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A toy car is left scorched in a neighborhood destroyed by fire near Cardinal Newman High School on Oct. 10, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Brad Turley and Charisse Desmarais look through the remnants of her mother's home in the Silverado Community, which was burned by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of the buildings at Stornetta Dairy that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of the buildings at Stornetta Dairy that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A man retrieves coins from the ruins of his house in a neighborhood destroyed by fire near Cardinal Newman High School on Oct. 10, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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A neighborhood is destroyed by fire in the area of Foxtail Court, on Oct. 10, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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People look for something to salvage in a neighborhood destroyed by fire in the area of Foxtail Court, on Oct. 10, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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The American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at the Crosswalk Community Church for people displaced by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A view of the remains of homes that were destroyed by the Atlas Fire on Oct. 10, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A resident rushes to save his home as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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This LOVE sculpture was one of the few things left standing at the Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Michael Pond, left, looks through ashes as his wife Kristine, center, gets a hug from Zack Thurston, their daughter's boyfriend, while they search the remains of their home destroyed by fires in Santa Rosa, Calif., Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez
A man drives an all-terrain vehicle along a fire-ravaged Soda Canyon Rd., Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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Kristine Pond reacts as she searches the remains of her family's home destroyed by fires in Santa Rosa, Calif., Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
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The entrance to the fire-ravaged Signorello Estate winery is seen Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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The charred remains of the Signorello Estate winery are seen Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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Smoke billows from a neighborhood that was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire on October 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Burned out cars sit next to a building on fire in a fire-ravaged neighborhood on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Flames consume a section of the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Burned lawn chairs sit next to the swimming pool at the Journey's End Mobile Home Park on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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The remains of fire-damaged homes and cars at the Journey's End Mobile Home Park on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Burned out wine bottles sit on a rack at the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A Napa Valley public worker sprays water on a building as an out of control wildfire moves through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Yountville, Califo.
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Burned out wine bottles sit on a rack at the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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A burned out home sits next to a vineyard after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Sonoma, Calif.
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Burned out wine bottles sit on a rack at the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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Burned out wine bottles sit on a rack at the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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The remains of the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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The remains of the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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The remains of the fire-damaged Signarello Estate winery after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Napa, Calif.
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The remains of fire damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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The remains of fire damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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Burned cars sit idle after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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The remains of fire-damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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The remains of fire-damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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An image of the Napa fire Oct. 9, 2017.
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The rubble and ash of a home on Sonterra Court in Santa Rosa on Otc. 9, 2017, after a wildfire swept through the area overnight.
Kevin Nious/NBC Bay Area
The rubble and ash of a home on Sonterra Court in Santa Rosa on Oct. 9, 2017, after a wildfire swept through the area overnight.
Kevin Nious/NBC Bay Area
The rubble and ash of a home on Sonterra Court in Santa Rosa on Oct. 9, 2017, after a wildfire swept through the area overnight.
Kevin Nious/NBC Bay Area
The rubble and ash of a home on Sonterra Court in Santa Rosa on Oct. 9, 2017, after a wildfire swept through the area overnight.
Kevin Nious/NBC Bay Area
The rubble and ash of a home on Sonterra Court in Santa Rosa on Oct. 9, 2017, after a wildfire swept through the area overnight.
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The rubble and ash of a home on Sonterra Court in Santa Rosa on Oct. 9, 2017, after a wildfire swept through the area overnight.
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The remains of fire damaged homes after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
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A burned out home sits next to a vineyard after an out of control wildfire moved through the area on Oct. 9, 201,7 in Sonoma, Calif.
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Smoke continues to rise from the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Smoke billows from a neighborhood that was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire on Oct. 9, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif.
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Fire consumes a home as an out-of-control wildfire move through the area on Oct. 9, 2017, in Glen Ellen, Calif.
She hasn't lost her dry sense of humor, either. On the phone, she even manages to crack a few jokes about a load of her work uniforms that were left in the washing machine when the fire erupted.
"Yeah, they got washed, alright," she quipped, letting out a small chuckle.
Flores Family
Michella Flores and her parents were renting this Sullivan Street home in Santa Rosa. They lost a home that they owned during the Great Recession. (Oct. 18, 2017.)
Throwing pity parties is simply not her style. It has never been, according to her sister, who lives in Virginia.
"She’s resilient and amazing, and she’s done amazing things with her life," Krista Flores said. "But I worry about my sister. She’s just always been so busy. She doesn’t take time to take care of herself, and I’m afraid for when it all hits her."
Michella Flores, who still hasn’t taken a day off work since her horrendous October began in Vegas, thinks the realization of what happened to her will come sooner rather than later. She is dreading staying overnight in a hotel at the end of this month for work. Once there, she’ll be alone, with no one else to look after.
"I’m imagining that’s when it’s going to hit me, and I’ll deal with it then," she said. "But I’ll only be able to deal with it for a moment. The next morning I’ll have to be perky for the passengers. I can’t very well sit in the middle of the aisle, telling them my woes. ‘Oh my god, I was shot at, my house burned down’....they don’t want to hear that."
Instead, she turns to her dog for comfort, and her spirits have been lifted by a community that has rallied around her parents and provided support. A GoFundMe page, created by her sister, has been flooded with donations and well wishes from across the country.
"The outpouring has been so great," she said. "I’ve been amazed by people who have been donating. I almost feel unworthy, because of everything happening elsewhere. You know, you look at Puerto Rico and some people don't even have clean water. But I’m lucky, my family is alive, I’m alive. Things could be worse."
When asked what would be the best outcome for her family, she said they would like to stay in Santa Rosa. But she’s not holding out hope, and she doesn’t expect anyone to hand them anything.
"The world isn’t perfect, but in a perfect world, of course, we would like to stay," she said. "Even though it’s smoky and it looks like a bomb hit the town, I still don’t want to leave. Santa Rosa is still my town. It’ll always be our home."
Find the GoFundMe page for Michella Flores and her family here.
