LA wildfires: 'I can’t describe how difficult and stressful it has been', Irish barrister says
Mary O'Neill: 'We have precious items like photos and sentimental things packed, but thankfully things have calmed down and it is looking better.'
Residents of Los Angeles who had their cars packed in preparation to flee the wildfires are hoping the worst may be be over, an Irish barrister based in the city has said.
The wildfires, which first ignited on January 7, have left 25 people dead, more than 12,000 structures destroyed and about 150,000 displaced.
While the Palisades and Eaton wildfires are continuing to burn the strongest, winds have died down considerably, according to officials, and the rest of the fires are under control.
Mary O'Neill said: “They are lifting evacuation orders, but I can’t describe how difficult and stressful it has been.
“You’re trying to remain calm, but you really don’t know, if a warning is going to go off, and everything has to be dropped, and you have to go to some place far away
Ms O’Neill, who owns the legal firm O’Neill Huxtable and Abelson, said as conditions improved in LA, those on standby to evacuate their homes were beginning to relax slightly.
While she and her husband were not evacuated, they were prepared to flee at a moment's notice.
“We are in a warning zone” she told the . “Like all of us, we have everything packed as the fire moves closer to us.
"We have precious items like photos and sentimental things packed, but thankfully things have calmed down and it is looking better."
Ms O'Neill said as her husband requires some assistance, the couple's adult son stayed over to help them evacuate if needed. "Our son has an eight-day old baby, so everyone has had their difficulties and challenges.
She said as residents move from evacuation mode, thoughts are turning to the future.
“We have to look at the years ahead, now that thousands are displaced, and homes destroyed.
Despite the chaos and destruction, many parts of LA are open, and people are going to work.
“Everything is functioning okay. There have been a lot of power outages, and some areas have voluntarily turned off power and gas lines, this is to prevent fires, they just turn the whole lot off for a certain amount of time”.
Ms O’Neill whose family hails from Northern Ireland and Dublin, has been “inundated” with messages from her loved ones as well as former university students from Ireland, who have worked with her in LA.
“I run a programme with the Irish American bar association. I bring students over for the summer — this is our 36th year — they come from UCC, UCD, Trinity, Limerick, Galway and Queens. Students come here and work in the summer for eight weeks in the courts, they work for a judge, doing legal research.
So I have been getting all kind of emails, Facetime, from all of my former students, it’s so touching”.
Ms O’Neill is one of the recipients of the upcoming Presidential Distinguished Service Awards for the Irish Abroad, which will be presented on January 30 at Áras an Uachtaráin.
The award from President Michael D Higgins recognises the service given to this country or to Irish communities abroad by those who live outside Ireland.
“I’m deeply honoured and can’t wait to get over there. It will be lovely to get home for a while.”
