2018 Wildfire Season

[Norseman]

The post-hurricane aerial imagery put on the web by NOAA was a huge asset for recovery from Michael. Perhaps something similar could be set up for future fire aftermath/recovery.

I'd expect to see many systems overhauled after this fire season.

[SumJongGuy]

I'm not surprised that a thousand plus people could be caught sleeping, phones turned off or silent, etc.. when something like this flares up in the middle of the night. Is there a list somewhere at this point? Safe to say most are gone if nobody has heard from them by now :-(

[char_]

The Presidential Alert system seems like a good place to start for a model of how to reach people via cell phone.

[DJSapp]

I'd expect to see many systems overhauled after this fire season.

...................................after?

[AKPogue]

I grew up in the Midwest and we had tornado sirens. They would test them every once in awhile and everyone knew what they were. Isn't there anything in California like that?

[SumJongGuy]

The post-hurricane aerial imagery put on the web by NOAA was a huge asset for recovery from Michael. Perhaps something similar could be set up for future fire aftermath/recovery.

I'd expect to see many systems overhauled after this fire season.

...................................after?

Ya, it's pretty much a perpetual thing now that never ends or begins..

[SumJongGuy]

I grew up in the Midwest and we had tornado sirens. They would test them every once in awhile and everyone knew what they were. Isn't there anything in California like that?

Me too, and also lived in Oklahoma a couple times. The sirens are usually on top of fire stations, public schools, municipal buildings. They only help folks who live close to those types of places. People living up in the mountains or countryside won't hear them. The cell phone alerts. like Amber Alerts, and other storm warnings that hit your phone assuming you have a decent weather/news app loaded are probably the best bet..

[hutash]

This is California, is the siren for a fire, earthquake, mud slides/flood, tsunami, shortage of brie and chardonnay?

[AKPogue]

This is California, is the siren for a fire, earthquake, mud slides/flood, tsunami, shortage of brie and chardonnay?

Ok well just keep what ya got then. Sure worked out splendid.

[old goat]

Given the speed with which the fire spread and the limited escape routes it's not clear any warning system would have helped. What will help is zoning that concentrates wildfire zone housing into villages surrounded by substantial firebreaks with extreme defensible space requirements so that people can shelter in space with a reasonable chance of surviving and not losing their houses. Letting people build scattered in the woods is not sustainable. People won't like it; no one in CA seems to be able to tolerate living near other people, but if govt doesn't do it the insurance companies will.

First of course we have to stop letting people rebuild in places that flood repeatedly. In terms of economic damage and deaths flooding and storms are much more significant than wildfires, although this year wildfire deaths will exceed flood deaths.

[bodywhomper]

^^A mass government buy-out?^^

If I remember correctly, some of neighborhoods that burned to the ground in Santa Rosa were not in areas with any wildfire hazard zone designation, as designate by the state. their designation was "urban."

Regarding cell phone alerts, there is very limited coverage in the sierra foothills. This is a well known (and unfortunate) problem related to anything emergency.

I could see this rekindle discussions about state wildfire insurance, similar to how california legislature is discussing opting out of NFIP and creating its own program.

ETA: hutash, appreciate your first hand sharing. Reflection and rebuilding are really challenging.

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[Viva]

I grew up in the Midwest and we had tornado sirens. They would test them every once in awhile and everyone knew what they were. Isn't there anything in California like that?

Sure, the Santa Ana winds...the kinda blow job everyone dreads.

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[SumJongGuy]

^^A mass government buy-out?^^

If I remember correctly, some of neighborhoods that burned to the ground in Santa Rosa were not in areas with any wildfire hazard zone designation, as designate by the state. their designation was "urban."

Regarding cell phone alerts, there is very limited coverage in the sierra foothills. This is a well known (and unfortunate) problem related to anything emergency.

I could see this rekindle discussions about state wildfire insurance, similar to how california legislature is discussing opting out of NFIP and creating its own program.]

I see what you did there.

Ya, why not a gubbermint subsidized handout for people who decide to build expensive homes in high risk fire zones? It seems to be pretty common all along the east cost with the multi million dollar beach houses we all pay to rebuild every time another big storm levels them.

As for the giant fire breaks, clearing big sections of terrain in the mountains opens up the landscape to mudslides. The tree root structure is what's holding everything together. Get rid of the trees and everything washes downward when the rains come.

[char_]

Given the speed with which the fire spread and the limited escape routes it's not clear any warning system would have helped. What will help is zoning that concentrates wildfire zone housing into villages surrounded by substantial firebreaks with extreme defensible space requirements so that people can shelter in space with a reasonable chance of surviving and not losing their houses. Letting people build scattered in the woods is not sustainable. People won't like it; no one in CA seems to be able to tolerate living near other people, but if govt doesn't do it the insurance companies will.

Australia uses a "Stay or Go" approach where homeowners often stay in place and actively protect their property or leave well in advance of a wildfires arrival. It is not a passive approach, requires substantial public engagement and education and a homeowner willing to take on some responsibility to be prepared. This is basically the opposite of the US approach, which is to mass evacuate regardless.

I am continually astounded by these videos of people driving through active wildfire and surviving.



http://idahofirewise.org/wp-content/...XinXtheXus.pdf

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-w...g03-story.html

[SumJongGuy]

Well look at this. here's what insurance companies are doing about it.. protecting their biggest dollar risks.

Kim Kardashian's private firefighters expose the fault lines of America

[bodywhomper]

I see what you did there.

Ya, why not a gubbermint subsidized handout for people who decide to build expensive homes in high risk fire zones? It seems to be pretty common all along the east cost with the multi million dollar beach houses we all pay to rebuild every time another big storm levels them.

As for the giant fire breaks, clearing big sections of terrain in the mountains opens up the landscape to mudslides. The tree root structure is what's holding everything together. Get rid of the trees and everything washes downward when the rains come.

I don't think you understand the demographics of the sierra foothills. Middle/lower class. Here's from Wikipedia for paradise, which summerizes the census: " The median income for a household in the town was $31,863, and the median income for a family was $41,228. Males had a median income of $35,419 versus $25,231 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,267. About 9.7% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over. "

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[SumJongGuy]

I don't think you understand the demographics of the sierra foothills. Middle/lower class. Here's from Wikipedia for paradise, which summerizes the census: " The median income for a household in the town was $31,863, and the median income for a family was $41,228. Males had a median income of $35,419 versus $25,231 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,267. About 9.7% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over. "

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Actually, I do get that there are plenty of median income people impacted, hutash for example. My point is that if we, as a nation, can chip in the money to fund National Flood Insurance for those high dollar beach houses, why not also subsidize insurance for people living in the foothills regardless of the economic status?

[Meadow Skipper]

Actually, I do get that there are plenty of median income people impacted, hutash for example. My point is that if we, as a nation, can chip in the money to fund National Flood Insurance for those high dollar beach houses, why not also subsidize insurance for people living in the foothills regardless of the economic status?

Insurance isn’t really the issue, is it? More like dead people.

Also, beach front rich people are not the kind of people living in the Sierra foothills. So sit back and listen.

[SumJongGuy]

Insurance isn’t really the issue, is it? More like dead people.

Also, beach front rich people are not the kind of people living in the Sierra foothills. So sit back and listen.

Alright then, tell me.. what are the survivors supposed to do while waiting for the world to solve global warming? Should they rebuild, possibly with better subsidized insurance or should they go back to the cities where real estate costs five times as much?

[SumJongGuy]

Insurance isn’t really the issue, is it? More like dead people.

Also, beach front rich people are not the kind of people living in the Sierra foothills. So sit back and listen.

Alright then, tell me.. what are the survivors like hutash supposed to do while waiting for the world to solve global warming? Should they rebuild, possibly with better subsidized insurance or should they go back to the cities where real estate costs five times as much?

[Meadow Skipper]

Alright then, tell me.. what are the survivors like hutash supposed to do while waiting for the world to solve global warming? Should they rebuild, possibly with better subsidized insurance or should they go back to the cities where real estate costs five times as much?

I’m not getting into this with you. You seem intent on prattling on with no idea of the realities and complexities involved, so it’ll be better (for me) if I just ignore you.

[PB]

Meanwhile. ..... if they just did a little raking .........

[neckdeep]

[XXX-er]

Alright then, tell me.. what are the survivors like hutash supposed to do while waiting for the world to solve global warming? Should they rebuild, possibly with better subsidized insurance or should they go back to the cities where real estate costs five times as much?

Don't they have title to a fee simple tenure so even if it was mortgaged to the hilt the bank would require insurance which would rebuild the house or am I missing something ?

[Svengali]