MUSKEGON, Mich. - Cheryle Eisen sat in her North Muskegon as she read over a text message she received last Thursday.
"Due to the fire in the area an evacuation has been ordered for the Carnegie Zone, Pine Zone, North Fir Haven Zone," she read aloud. This was an evacuation order, six months ago, she would have had to follow.
"They warned us if a fire started down at the Feather River area that it'd be fast and you better be ready to go," Eisen said.
The lakeshore resident lived in the Paradise / Magalia California area for three years. Those towns burned over the weekend as the Camp Fire spread.
State emergency workers now say 42 people have died in the wildfire, 80 miles north of Sacramento. On Tuesday crews continued to search for more than 200 missing people.
Eisen immediately checked in on friends still living in the area; she was able to get ahold of them, but many have lost it all.
"It's devastating, it's heartbreaking," she said. "That was our community, that was our restaurants and our grocery stores."
Eisen is urging for those in West Michigan to give what they can. She sent clothing her children have outgrown to friends that have nothing. She hopes others in the area will feel compelled to follow her lead and give what they can.
"These folks have lost everything, absolutely everything," she continued.
Charity groups were also devastated. The Grand Haven Salvation Army shared a post on their Facebook page on Monday stating that its Paradise California location burned to the ground but its volunteers continue to work. Crews have served more than 7,000 meals to evacuees and first responders over the last few days.
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