From someone who has to deal with impending natural diasters and evacs, please be smart and comply with the officials. If they say go, just go. Please don’t become a statistic.
May all of you in the area come through safe and sound.
[quote]undeadlift wrote:
Ash from volcanoes are fertilizers. Burned ashes are just waste.[/quote]
Not true. Ash from burned trees/shrubs/grasses provides nutrients and so is generally beneficial (it’s possible that in some special situations induced pH changes could be detrimental, etc. but these are uncommon). It’s the basis for ‘slash and burn’ agriculture, and one benefit from controlled burns of forests (other benefits include reducing fuel load and opening up the site for early succession species).
A quick google search turns up many references, such as http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1142.htm
Satellite picture of the fires
Some people suck
Illegal Immigrants Steal Fire Victims�?? Supplies
Six Mexican illegal immigrants were arrested for stealing food and water from a southern California evacuation center housing victims of the devastating fire that has been proclaimed a natural disaster by the president.
The illegal immigrants took the supplies from a San Diego football stadium where thousands of evacuees have been forced to stay because their homes either burned or are located in areas severely threatened by deadly flames.
San Diego Police responded to a call that half a dozen people had stolen supplies from Qualcomm Stadium, the city-owned facility where the area�??s professional football team (San Diego Chargers) plays its home games. Officers caught six people in a van that didn�??t speak English and did not have identifications.
Officers called U.S. Border Patrol agents, who arrived at the stadium and made the arrests. The six thieves admitted that they were indeed illegal immigrants from Mexico taking advantage of a devastating situation.
The fires have swept through the much of the state and forced hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate. In San Diego County alone, more than half a million residents have been forced to leave their homes and nearly 1,500 homes have been lost statewide.
Earlier this week President George W. Bush issued an emergency disaster declaration for California to assist overwhelmed state and local authorities in their efforts to save lives and protect public health and safety.
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
Some people suck
[/quote]
Sadly, there will always be someone to profit from another’s tragedy.
I live in Rancho Penasquitos which is south of Rancho Bernardo and east of Scripps Ranch, both of which were mandatory evacuation zones on Monday. We left our apartment Monday night anticipating our area to be evacuated which indeed it did. Luckily for us, the Witch Creek fire didn’t get to our apartment and we returned to our place last night.
On Sunday afternoon, I saw the fires off in the distance. Towers of black smoke came from the east and engulfed the whole sky, turning it a shade of brownish-orange. I knew there was a fire but since it was far away, didn’t think that much of it. I woke up early Monday morning and drove to work in Rancho Bernardo, not knowing that the fire had already made the ~20 mile trek from Romona to Rancho Bernardo. All I knew was that the sky was dark as the sun wasn’t quite up yet, but it had a weird shade of brown tint to it. By the time I got to Rancho Bernardo, all traffic stopped and darkness surrounded us. It was then that I heard on the radio that the fires had already reached Lake Hodges which is about a mile away from where I work. Houses in the area were already being burnt and people are asked to evacuate from the Rancho Bernardo area. I called all my friends to make sure they were already up and on their way out. It was a surreal experience.
Upon returning to work today, I’m glad to say that all but one of my friends are safe and were lucky not to lose their houses. We haven’t been able to contact one of our friends whose husband works out of the country often and the mom takes care of two little ones. We hope they are okay.
One of my co-workers however wasn’t so luckily. His house was one of the many that was burned to the ground. Here’s his website: http://www.rebuildshangrila.com/. Here’s an interview with the co-worker’s wife on the Today Show: MSN.
The Rancho Bernardo area is still under watch as police and national guards stand guard on several street corners, blocking off people from the burnt areas for the fire crew to continue their work there. Traffic is almost non-existent as it’s almost like a ghost town here. It’s gonna take some time before things regains a semblance of normalcy around here.
Tony!
I am so grateful that your home survived the fires and that you and your family are safe.
I am at the Sweetwater Reservoir by the Harris Fire but luckily it didn’t cross to my side.
I’ve seen the news where they are now letting some folks back into Rancho Bernardo. It does look unreal.
I just can’t believe these fires have been going for so long with such little containment.
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
I just can’t believe these fires have been going for so long with such little containment.
[/quote]
While on Sunday and Monday I only saw the big pillars of smoke and it being blown all over by the Santa Ana winds to cover the skyline, it was a different story last night.
While driving back home from Los Angles, we passed the nuclear power plant in San Onofre and there was a wall of fire on the east side of the freeway. The flames were as high or higher than the electrical poles, waving menacingly at us as if to taunt us. It was a sight that makes one feel very powerless before the handiwork of nature.
We saw some emergency vehicles passing us going the opposite way (north) towards the fires, God bless and protect them. Just imagine, what would happen to Southern California if the flames did reach the power plant and the whole thing goes ka-boom? I’m sure preserving the integrity of the power plant is one of their highest priorities there so I’ll keep faith in the professionals to do their job. However, thoughts like that makes my heart skip a beat…
I have been really pretty impressed with the air coverage. I know some people have been complaining that there wasn’t enough but considering the winds I thought it was fantastic.
When I looked overhead and saw those Navy Blackhawks swooping down to get water from Sweetwater and then dumping on the flames, I was just so grateful.
I hadn’t even thought about San Onofre! I would hope they would get the first priority.
Luckily the oil refineries in Mission Valley were safe.
[quote]Tony Hsiao wrote:
OctoberGirl wrote:
I just can’t believe these fires have been going for so long with such little containment.
While on Sunday and Monday I only saw the big pillars of smoke and it being blown all over by the Santa Ana winds to cover the skyline, it was a different story last night.
While driving back home from Los Angles, we passed the nuclear power plant in San Onofre and there was a wall of fire on the east side of the freeway. The flames were as high or higher than the electrical poles, waving menacingly at us as if to taunt us. It was a sight that makes one feel very powerless before the handiwork of nature.
We saw some emergency vehicles passing us going the opposite way (north) towards the fires, God bless and protect them. Just imagine, what would happen to Southern California if the flames did reach the power plant and the whole thing goes ka-boom? I’m sure preserving the integrity of the power plant is one of their highest priorities there so I’ll keep faith in the professionals to do their job. However, thoughts like that makes my heart skip a beat…[/quote]
No worries about an external fire causing a nuclear meltdown at San Onofre. The four feet of concrete and steel around the reactors should be a pretty good fire break, not to mention the actual concrete building surrounding the reactors.
I hope.
Tony, I’m so glad to hear you and your friends are safe and your homes all survived. I’m so sorry for your co-worker lost his though.
One of my close friends is a fire fighter in Julian and she lost her home in the Cedar Fire in 2003, while preventing her neighbor’s house from burning down. I’m praying she doesn’t lose her house again this year. Hopefully they get this fire contained soon before there’s any more damage or lives lost.
[quote]TJN713 wrote:
No worries about an external fire causing a nuclear meltdown at San Onofre. The four feet of concrete and steel around the reactors should be a pretty good fire break, not to mention the actual concrete building surrounding the reactors.
I hope.[/quote]
I’ve heard that too. I sure hope it’s true!
[quote]Mod Laurie wrote:
TJN713 wrote:
No worries about an external fire causing a nuclear meltdown at San Onofre. The four feet of concrete and steel around the reactors should be a pretty good fire break, not to mention the actual concrete building surrounding the reactors.
I hope.
I’ve heard that too. I sure hope it’s true![/quote]
It better be. Otherwise there would be massive radiation leaks from the reactor. The thick walls contain it.
Wildfire can’t induce a meltdown in nuclear facilities.
Truthfully, a human operator fuck-up of epic proportions is about all that can cause a melt-down in power plants.
[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
Wildfire can’t induce a meltdown in nuclear facilities.
Truthfully, a human operator fuck-up of epic proportions is about all that can cause a melt-down in power plants.[/quote]
well I feel better now because human error never happens
is it expensive to line your house in lead?
There’s a number of things homeowners can do to lower their risk from wildfires. A quick google found one site with very good suggestions:
And here’s another site with a nice analysis of the current situation: