ELK, Wash. – It has been almost a year since the Gray and Oregon Road Fires devastated Medical Lake and Elk, destroying thousands of acres and hundreds of homes. Today, many families are still struggling to return to normal life.
Jen and Rob Parker are one of those families. After losing their home to the Oregon Road Fire, they’ve been living in a camper and trying to piece their lives back together.
“Everything was gone,” Jen said.
The Parkers were on their way to pick up Rob’s mom, who was under a level two evacuation order for the Gray Fire. Jen remembers the moment they realized their own home was in danger. “I got the alert on my phone and I happened to look down and I was like ‘honey we’re in a level three’. I’ve never gotten home from Chattaroy that fast,” Jen said.
Despite having insurance, the coverage wasn’t enough to rebuild. “Insurance covered bare minimum. They didn’t cover outbuildings, they didn’t cover personal belongings, they didn’t cover any of that. They covered just the house itself,” Jen said. The insurance money they received was primarily used to pay off the mortgage on their now-destroyed home.
For the past year, the Parkers, and their dog, have been living in a one-bedroom fifth wheel right next to where there house once stood. Donations have helped, but storing those donations in the camper has been a challenge because, “there’s just no room for us,” Jen said.
The Parkers are taking things day-by-day. With the help from friends, the Salvation Army, and New Hope Resource Center, they’ve started building a shop next to their camper. Their goal is to insulate the building by winter to keep warm.
“For the entire last year it’s been, what can we do now? There’s never necessarily a plan for the future, it’s just surviving the moment,” Jen said. “We have to go to a neighbor’s house for basic necessities, and we have to go to a friend’s house in Elk to do laundry and we’ve been doing that for the last year… They say Elk strong, at this point it’s not just a saying anymore, it’s a lifestyle. We have to be strong because that’s who we are.”
Their family dog, Panda, embodies the spirit of resilience. Panda was trapped inside the house when the fire started but was rescued by their son and friends, who risked their safety to save him.
Living on a property filled with reminders of last August, Jen Parker sits with a smile on her face, relying on humor to get through tough times.
“It’s sad but if you look at it as sad everyday, you’re gonna be miserable,” she said.
