Off-Topic: Southern California Fires

[KnappShack]

1960s .... I mean we put people on the moon in that decade ... surly nothing has changed nor drastically in .... 60 years. come on man.

Irvine, CA wasn't yet incorporated.

Reminds me of the drive home.

Kick MacAthur to PCH. Hit Laugna Beach. Top open. Bee Gees CD stuck in the player.

I can smell that drive.

 

[Cy Hard]

Reminds me of the drive home.

Kick MacAthur to PCH. Hit Laugna Beach. Top open. Bee Gees CD stuck in the player.

I can smell that drive.

So this was you huh...

 

[BCClone]

Reminds me of the drive home.

Kick MacAthur to PCH. Hit Laugna Beach. Top open. Bee Gees CD stuck in the player.

I can smell that drive.

Good thing you left. That leisure suit of yours probably would have ignited quickly around this stuff.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Reminds me of the drive home.

Kick MacAthur to PCH. Hit Laugna Beach. Top open. Bee Gees CD stuck in the player.

I can smell that drive.

C3 Corvette like LL Cool J?

 

[CyDude16]

So this was you huh...
View attachment 140750

That skit is a classic.

 

[wxman1]

 

[12191987]

The worst thing that can happen in these area's is to have multiple very wet seasons in a row. Too much brush grows which in the summer months dries off and becomes fuel.

And if a fires starts with this fuel......with winds like that it's impossible not to have some kind of damage.

With that said......80% of this was preventable. It just was.

And before anyone starts saying how there isn't any water for southern Cali. because of drought and this was inevitable......don't.

Mom's cousin and uncle were engineers for the California State Water Project back in the 1960's that brings water from up off the Sacramento River all the way to the Mexican border.

It was a engineering miracle back then and would again be today. Over 400 miles long and pumps water over the Tehacaphi Mountains.

So even if there was a decade of below normal rain in southern Cali (which didn't happened, in fact the opposite and why there is so much fuel) there is more than enough water flowing down from northern Cali. via this system to prevent this level of damage in metro areas. That's why it was built. And if anyone tells you any different they are flat out lying.

And with that said I will stop without stating how said project is being operated today or this will get caved.

Sorry, I’m not sure I’m following your point here.

Is your claim that this was “80% preventable” tied to water management in some way?

 

[somecyguy]

That was hard to read. I feel awful for them.

 

[ClubCy]

The best way to slow this fire down would have been if the wind died down on Tuesday night and they could have fought through the air.

The best FD in the world wouldn’t have been able to stop this fire when they are fighting it alone on the ground. Having sustained 40-50 mph winds all day and night with 100 mph gusts, it was game over. Look how quickly they contained the Hollywood Hills fire when there wasn’t much wind.

Spare me all the political finger pointing and blaming. I guess next time a rust belt town get destroyed by a tornado everyone in CA should just say “should have built all the houses underground to avoid this”

I apologize if that insensitive and reactionary (I grew up in rural Iowa so I know the devastation of tornados) but that’s how it’s feels out here right now.

 

[cstrunk]

The worst part is bad fire weather is going to return in just a few days.

 

[clonedude]

The best way to slow this fire down would have been if the wind died down on Tuesday night and they could have fought through the air.

The best FD in the world wouldn’t have been able to stop this fire when they are fighting it alone on the ground. Having sustained 40-50 mph winds all day and night with 100 mph gusts, it was game over. Look how quickly they contained the Hollywood Hills fire when there wasn’t much wind.

Spare me all the political finger pointing and blaming. I guess next time a rust belt town get destroyed by a tornado everyone in CA should just say “should have built all the houses underground to avoid this”

I apologize if that insensitive and reactionary (I grew up in rural Iowa so I know the devastation of tornados) but that’s how it’s feels out here right now.

This x1000. Anyone making this political can F right off. Saw a fire chief on TV today saying it wouldn't have mattered how many firefighters they had, or water, or money... nothing you can do with 80 mph winds.

Why does everyone always have to find someone to blame? Why wasn't eastern Iowa ready for that derecho several years ago? It's a stupid question.

Climate change is what should be blamed. It's only going to get worse folks.

 

[ClubCy]

This x1000. Anyone making this political can F right off. Saw a fire chief on TV today saying it wouldn't have mattered how many firefighters they had, or water, or money... nothing you can do with 80 mph winds.

Why does everyone always have to find someone to blame? Why wasn't eastern Iowa ready for that derecho several years ago? It's a stupid question.

Climate change is what should be blamed. It's only going to get worse folks.

Well said @clonedude

 

[Pizzapitter]

There's this illusion that everybody PP is wealthy af.
Nope. Sizeable # are middle class or less. 2 friends who I worked with live there. Their parents or grandparents bought modest homes, back in the day, long before home prices went thru the multimillion $ roof.
Both friends (and respective families) inherited their parents homes. Both friend's homes were uninsured and survived.
From what I'm reading, 20%ish PP homes were uninsured (coverage dropped).

 

[Die4Cy]

This x1000. Anyone making this political can F right off. Saw a fire chief on TV today saying it wouldn't have mattered how many firefighters they had, or water, or money... nothing you can do with 80 mph winds.

Why does everyone always have to find someone to blame? Why wasn't eastern Iowa ready for that derecho several years ago? It's a stupid question.

Climate change is what should be blamed. It's only going to get worse folks.

These fires could not have been prevented. It does matter that people were clamoring for years for someone to do more fire mitigation, that ballot measures demanded southern California reservoirs be expanded and more built. This isn't the time for people to make that case, people are still scrambling for their lives. All facts of the situation.

 

[TheCaptain]

This x1000. Anyone making this political can F right off. Saw a fire chief on TV today saying it wouldn't have mattered how many firefighters they had, or water, or money... nothing you can do with 80 mph winds.

Why does everyone always have to find someone to blame? Why wasn't eastern Iowa ready for that derecho several years ago? It's a stupid question.

Climate change is what should be blamed. It's only going to get worse folks.

And that Fire Chief has been fired by the Mayor. Ridiculous.

 

[Marcelason78]

……Both friends (and respective families) inherited their parents homes. Both friend's homes were uninsured and survived.
From what I'm reading, 20%ish PP homes were uninsured (coverage dropped).

And for those that have FAIR insurance from the State, is it worth anything since it sounds like it is massively underfunded?

 

[Pizzapitter]

If you haven't viewed "Trouble in Paradise" it's worth a view. PBS Frontline. As with PP and such, not much humans can do given extreme winds, dryer than dry.
If I recall right, about 90 died in Paradise. So far, about 10 in So Cal.

 

[Pizzapitter]

Blame game, just beginning

 

[cal-cyclone]

And that Fire Chief has been fired by the Mayor. Ridiculous.

I think that was a rumor. The Mayor's office has made a statement that it isn't true.

 

[TheCaptain]

I think that was a rumor. The Mayor's office has made a statement that it isn't true.

My bad...carry on.

(darn twitter)