California Is Burning

[filkertom]

More horrific by the hour. If you are anywhere within a hundred miles of any of the fire areas, PLEASE get out now. And check in with us later.

If you are out there, have you had to evacuate yet? If not, what kind of timeline are you looking at? More importantly, why are you reading LJ right now? Go! Go! Go go go go go!

Comments

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Oy. I thought our fire season here in Montana had been scary. =/ We're waiting to hear if herrritter's mom and stepdad and little brother are clearing out of Santa Clarita. The school his mom teaches at was closed down yesterday because of the chance the fire would come their way.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

Dear Tom - please calm down dear. I'm sitting in the middle of this and I am not in danger. Let me explain. (No, that would take too long, let me sum up.)

We're fine. Yes, a ton of people are not fine. But they are being taken care of, at least here in San Diego. The whole community is pulling together and we're taking care of each other. We've even let the Governator into the main shelter. Charity, indeed.

Seriously, This fire is dangerous, but they're managing it very well. We learned a lot of lessons from the fires four years ago, and those lessons are being put to use. If some strangeness happens and we do wind up having to evacuate, we've got our plans in place and a place to go. Since the initial surprise, they've been issuing evacuation warnings with plenty of time for people to get out in a reasonably orderly fashions.

Other than staying indoors and not breathing the smoke, we're fine. I'm reading LJ because I have nothing better to do.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I'm utterly willing to believe you, really having no choice in the matter. I'm just a touch skittish, between some of the video I've seen the past few days (including a wrenching one of a newsman standing in front of the flaming ruins of his own home), memories of the bang-up job FEMA did in New Orleans, and the grim knowledge that far too many National Guardsmen are in Iraq right now.

[bentleywg.livejournal.com]

I've been reading about something they're using called Reverse 911 that phones hundreds of thousands of people with recorded updates and evacuation orders. A story on CNN (which I can't find now) told of an old couple getting the call at 4 a.m. I'd never heard of Reverse 911 before but it seems like a great way to notify folks who don't have the TV or radio on, or are asleep.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

I heard it mentioned in an article as well. It does sound like a great idea; I wonder if everyone with 911 has Reverse 911.

[lapislaz.livejournal.com]

I don't know, but I think the reverse 911 system is one of the best ideas ever - instead of calling the cops, the cops call you and tell you about the local emergency. It doesn't reach cell phones, but there are enough landlines to make sure that the neighborhood gets woken up and gets moving. They've been using the system to great effect here, informing people about evacuation orders in a very efficient manner.

And New Orleans has been mentioned yes. But this situation is utterly different, as someone pointed out below. We still have water, power, and transportation, and we don't have streets full of bayou water. In fact, we could use a few extra gallons right now if they could spare it.

Also, the crack about affluent white people is more on target than you think. Several of the neighborhoods that have gone up (and are still going up) are predominantly white, affluent, and Republican. Not all of them - Ramona is predominantly white, rural, and depressed.

But really, FEMA's not even here yet. We're pretty much handling this ourselves, so far. If they hand out money and then leave, we'll be pretty happy with them.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Last year we had a call on our voice mail that was a message from the local police about a missing child. At the time I thought it was location-specific to us, but now I wonder if that wasn't Reverse 911. It's a fantastic idea.

[bentleywg.livejournal.com]

I found an article about Reverse 911 in San Diego (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/10/san-diego-uses-.html):

"'Mandatory evacuation orders have been communicated via reverse 911 on both landline phones and mobile phones. ... The messages are prerecorded and as I’ve said, three messages have been received on my phone. The first was an evacuation order. The next message was a notice that San Diego schools are closed until further notice along with the instruction to keep children inside and restrict their activity levels (smoke and ash is so thick in the air that keeping it out of your house is impossible during large fires). The third message was information on evacuation centers that were still open as several are already full.' County officials estimate, based on census data, that their calls have reached more than 500,000 people. ... Those who rely on VoIP or cell phones exclusively are also out of the loop, because the system doesn't know to call them. But the city has a website where residents can register a non-landline number and associate it with their address."

Here (http://www.reverse911.com/About_Reverse_911_Part_2_0cb6274.html) is the website for the Reverse 911 company.

[ldhenson.livejournal.com]

R911 sounds like such a logical idea I'm surprised it hasn't been implemented long before now. Then again, I guess it's a matter of technology/cost. It's great to know it's being used, and used effectively.

Any way to know which communities use it?

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

>>And New Orleans has been mentioned yes. But this situation is utterly different, as someone pointed out below. We still have water, power, and transportation, and we don't have streets full of bayou water. In fact, we could use a few extra gallons right now if they could spare it.<<
Umm...actually, it was lake and canal water (Pontchartrain and the 17th St., respectively, to be specific). The nearest bayou has way too much dry land between it and NOLA to be pouring into its streets. (native Louisianan and former N'Awlins resident speaking here)

>>Also, the crack about affluent white people is more on target than you think. Several of the neighborhoods that have gone up (and are still going up) are predominantly white, affluent, and Republican. Not all of them - Ramona is predominantly white, rural, and depressed.<<
Heh. Some right-wing talkshow host just got quoted saying that the fires were mostly burning the homes of people who hate America. Shows to go ya.

[darrenzieger.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about the government's handling of this one. It's affecting primarily affluent white people. I'm sure the response will be much quicker and better organized.

[ladystarblade.livejournal.com]

My roommate and I have friends in Irvine and in Fresno...they say all's clear for the moment...

And I read somewhere that they think that at least the fire threatening Malibu was intentionally set. WTF?!? They need to find the people who did set it, throw them into gear, and send them out to clean up their own mess. *fumes*

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

And I read somewhere that they think that at least the fire threatening Malibu was intentionally set. WTF?!? They need to find the people who did set it, throw them into gear the middle of it naked, and send them out to clean up their own mess maybe if they're lucky they'll succumb to the *fumes*

Fixed. Motherfuckers.

[ladystarblade.livejournal.com]

I was thinking it, but thanks for putting it into words. The prevailing theory among those I've been discussing it with is that some asshats got the idea that the "rich people's houses should burn too."

Sons-of-goddamn-bitches.

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

Take your laptop and the last backup of your data! NOW! Don't worry about us East Coast folk! We gotta worry about Bush!

[wildcard9.livejournal.com]

I heard driving home today that 1000 homes have been destroyed and thousands of people are currently living in the San Diego football stadiam. Thankfully the problems that happened in the Superdome during Katrina are not happening in the San Diego stadium. It looks like people did learn a lesson about getting along during a disaster emergency. Hopefully the conditions in the stadium won't get anywhere near as bad as it got in the Superdome (at least San Diego still has power, running water, and plenty of food & water).

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to keep in mind how the media functions; with our yearly fires out here, not mention the Yellowstone fires in '88, the media made it out to be so much worse than it was.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

I was in the 89 Loma Prieta quake in Nor-Cal. At one point some slick haired anchorman or another stuck a microphone in my face & asked me about how I was managing. My response was along the lines of: "We get back up, dust ourselves off, see who needs help & get busy cleaning up the mess." I had barely gotten out half of that when the mic was pulled from me & stuck in front of some hysterical bimbo who was screaming about how horrible it all was.

SHE got on national TV. No one ever saw me.

I remember that whenever I watch news accounts of any kind of disaster. I also look for repeats of the same image. That's more telling than most anything else.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

"If it bleeds, it leads" as the news biz proverb goes. At least you understand that The Whole State Isn't Burning, despite what it looks like on CNN.

[ifics.livejournal.com]

Our Stadium has a vast parking lot around it, and people are going there as the the fire storm happens. We also have a lot of people driving there to donate supplies. It is at the cross roads of two major freeways. Any one can drive to it with out any problems. So food and water for them is not a problem.

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

Umm.. anywhere within 100 miles is really not practical. I'm within 100 miles of several of the fire areas, but a) we have not been told to evacuate, and b) we actually can't see any of the fires from where I am.

I agree that people close to the fires shoul evacuate, but a hundred miles really isn't close. That would mean trying to evacuate pretty much everything from Santa Barbara down in the state.

[kayshapero]

Indeed. I'm in Marina del Rey. If you hear about half of Los Angeles burning down from either north or south, then you can worry. Not but what I don't know people in the affected areas of course. Despite the news reports, most of Southern California is NOT on fire.

Mind you, the more housing developments spring up like mushrooms out in otherwise brushy territory (vis much of Antelope Valley), the more of 'em will be in the paths of the next fire that happens along. Were I mindless enough to live out there I'd try and build me a partially subterranean home, make it possible to seal it up completely, then do so and go somewhere else every fall.

[gorgeousgary]

Interestingly, there is a special model building code to address just that condition--the International Urban-Wildlife Interface Code. It has all sorts of fire-resistant construction requirements for houses themselves plus landscaping requirements to essentially provide a natural firebreak *around* the house.

Of course, I don't think CA has actually adopted that code yet--heck, they *just* joined the rest of the US in signing on to the International Building Code; it'll probably take them a few years to work their way through the rest of the companion codes.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

It is set up in California as a "provisional law" meaning that it won't be enforced, but it's a "Really Good Idea." I think that the idea that Darwin enforces what the fire departments can't is bass-ackwards but it seems to be the current working theorem.

A lot of the International Building Code was initially developed here in California, especially as regards seismic safety issues. Fire safety has, for too long alas, been a concern for "other people."

[gorgeousgary]

OK, apparently I'm still jet-lagged...that's Wildland, not Wildlife in the abovementioned code. Though sadly, mandating how one deals with coyotes, mountain lions, grizzlies, etc. wandering through someone's downtown is not the nuttiest thing I've seen proposed for a building code.

[kayshapero]

After making that post, I saw an article in the LA Times about how a number of the newest developments HAVE taken proper precautions, and are doing pretty well. In fact I seem to recall one of them had done so before the last major round of fires and came through with flying colors. So it could be worse - but it could be a heck of a lot better too. And I'd like to take the arsonists responsible for some of them and [DELETED BY CENSOR].

[pandoradeloeste.livejournal.com]

Agreed. People in LA don't really need to worry as much as people out in the sticks because we're not surrounded with chaparral and other dry shrubby tinder - I'd like to see a fire try to live off West LA's exotic overwatered lawns. (Not to say that a fire is impossible, just that it's going to take more effort than in the boonies where one spark will set off a major blaze.) Right now our main concerns are breathing as little smoke as possible, and looking up at the sun/moon (orange and dim from smoke) and saying "that's not right. . ."

Besides, if a fire took out my area of LA (near USC) the city might actually look better

[tibicina.livejournal.com]

I'm actually up in Altadena right near Angeles Crest, so fires in the past have gotten within about 10 blocks of the house. We're not safe from fire. It's just that the closest of these fires is at about 30 miles away with a mountain range in between. And the next closest is about 40 with a lot of city in between.

Though even at the time of the fires that got close, our house was behind the street they were going to use for the next fire break.

[kayshapero]

The way USC is expanding outwards, I'm amazed there's anything LEFT near USC...

OTOH, I would say that West Adams still has some mighty NICE buildings. I'm thinking of setting a mystery story in one of 'em, as turned into a small museum. Should, of course I finish everything ELSE I've got in the pipeline.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Had a note from my brother Sean earlier this evening. He's in Mission Viejo, and he says there are 10,000 houses between his place and the nearest fire. So in his estimation things would have to get a whole lot worse before the fire got to him. He does say the air quality is awful, so he's staying inside as much as possible.

I'm much more worried about the folks living in base housing at Camp Pendleton. About 100 homes in Fallbrook have burned, and it's just east of Pendleton. It's all open country between the fire and the housing, where a lot of the people are dependents whose military sponsors are currently deployed.

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear your bro' is safe. (And his name is Sean Gawne? Am I the only one amused by that?) Praying for the base dwellers at Pendleton.

[kirylyn.livejournal.com]

Reverse 911 is VERY VERY good idea

when it works

which is NOT all the time

It won't work on Cell Phones. It won't work on Vonage and other VOIP carriers unless you register for it.

last year, there was a wildfire in northeast Florida and an attempt at R911 was made but so many people did NOT get the call to clear out.

Luckily the fire was stopped short of homes but people were PISSED.

* * *

y'know there are times when biblical justice would be oh so sweet. If the Mailbu fires WERE arson, find those assholes and LIGHT THEM ON FIRE since they so want to see stuff burn. Their lawyers can argue "cruel and unusual" to all the people who are now homeless. Or give them a choice: die by fire or die by mob

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

I've talked to the three major fannish friends household in the SD area and while they are packed and ready to run, the fires have passed them buy for now.

Ye Gods...

[pickledcritter.livejournal.com]

I didn't really grasp the extent of the fire and evacuation (I knew it was large, but I just didn't have a good idea how large) until I started looking through this collection of Google Maps:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/southern-california-fire-maps.html

wow.

[nightmarewriter.livejournal.com]

Enh. I live in California, but it's like a 4 hour drive to get as far south as *Fresno*... which is still north of LA. (Draw a line from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, and I live just on the west side of the Sierras on it.) There are fires up here sometimes, but California is a loooooong state, and we're pretty far away from this set.

Best wishes to those threatened of course, but not every Californian needs to be in panic mode.