Alyssa Devincenzi, assistant store manager, and Tegan Davidson, buyer and quality assurance coordinator, of Sequoia Floral International in Santa Rosa, California, went ahead with plans to Petal It Forward last week despite waking up to “the most devastating fire storm,” days before the event, according to Davidson.
For Tegan Davidson and the staff at Sequoia Floral International in Santa Rosa, California, last week’s Petal It Forward initiative took on added meaning.
The Sunday before the October 11 event, the team was busy prepping flower donations from growers and importers, enough for about 1,200 bouquets.
“We woke up the next day to the most devastating fire storm,” said Davidson, the buyer and quality assurance coordinator. “So many people have been affected by this tragedy. We decided to move forward with the event in hopes to bring some comfort.”
And bring comfort they did.
“Many people lost their home or were evacuated,” Davidson explained. “They wanted to give the flowers to the people they were staying with or to the shelter. Firefighters pulled into the parking lot for a much-deserved break and supplies. We put flowers on their truck and watched other people do the same. This Petal It Forward event took on a new meaning.”
Fortunately, no one on Sequoia’s staff lost their homes, but “we all have family or friends that were evacuated or lost their homes,” Davidson added. “Most of the businesses in town have been hit hard. It will take some time to get back up.”
The wildfires are the deadliest in California history, and they’ve now been burning for more than a week, killing at least 41 people and destroying nearly 6,000 homes. About 34,000 people remained under evacuation Tuesday, down from 40,000 on Monday, according to news reports.
Ann Quinn, executive vice president of the California State Floral Association said her organization continues to monitor the situation and communicate with members.
“It is fair to say that business in all affected areas is at a standstill,” she said. “Even if shops are still standing, it is extremely difficult to get product in and out with road closures.”
Wholesalers weighing in last week on supply chain issues related to Hurricane Irma told E-Brief editors that the wildfires are not in a major flower-growing region of the state.
