For years, this type of situation has been talked about as a possible scenario for Tahoe. If you listened to the Tahoeland podcast from Capital Public Radio you may recall it even starts out with this almost exact scenario. Coming into summer, fire officials around the entire basin stressed their utmost concern about fire season this year. They were right.

We can point fingers, we can say I told you so, we can hate on what should have been done. But, the fact of the matter is that none of that is helpful right now. Over the coming days, possibly even weeks, we will have to fight the urge to let anger get the best of us. It won’t be easy.

There isn’t an evacuated soul that doesn’t want to go back home, get back to work, watch football on the couch, or have a beer with the neighbors. We don’t know how soon that will be possible, but there are thousands of people fighting to try and make it happen as soon as possible.

As we approach a weekend that is normally reserved for outdoor recreation and celebration, we find ourselves in a fight. We have been dealt some mighty blows, there’s no question. But hope, determination, pride, and maybe most important, a sense of community, has forged an even deeper bond.

We’re battered and bruised, and the fight is not over. But, we’re still standing.

We cannot predict how the fire will end, or when it will end. Even after things get seemingly under control, things will not be the same. The landscape of what we know and love about Tahoe and the surrounding areas are forever changed.

We don’t know when visitors will be able to return. We don’t know the full impact on our businesses and residents. We don’t know the scale of environmental challenges that may wait. But, what we do know is that the people that make up the communities are strong. And strength is always at its greatest when it’s in the form of unity.

I urge you all to find that strength. I hope you all can find that strength. Your role in how this moves forward will be vital – no matter how insignificant you think it may be.

One Lake. United.

Stay safe. Stay Tahoe strong.

Publisher Rob Galloway can be reached at rgalloway@tahoedailytribune.com or 530-542-8046.