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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: California Fires
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Thanks for the info re eucalypts.
They're not that common in the UK, though I think there's one adjacent to a local health centre.
Beautiful trees, but perhaps not in too great profusion...
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
And probably not a major factor here. In general, the wildfires in No Cal are behaving exactly like wildfires we have seen all over California, both w/ and w/o eucalyptus trees, since time began. The driving factor is really the Santa Anas and the type of brush that IS indigenous to California-- so simply replanting native plants would not solve the problem, since fire IS part of the natural lifecycle of those plants. Rather, we need to be more thoughtful in California about how to live WITH fire. We've done a pretty good job of thinking that thru in terms of building codes, but not so much in thinking about where we build, drought/water management, and about how to manage the many, many brush/wilderness areas bordering on residential communities. We are just beginning to acknowledge that some fire is beneficial in that process, because allowing (or even setting) "controlled burns" feels scary (for good reason) to those of us living near those controlled burn areas.
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
both w/ and w/o eucalyptus trees, since time began.
Eucalyptus trees, if they are particularly fallible, won't help though. They are, as I understand it, generally planted near structures and farmland to provide a windbreak. Their being near people is a problem. Just not the main one.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Golden Key
Shipmate
# 1468
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Posted
BF--
quote:
Originally posted by Bishops Finger:
Meanwhile, has The Deranged Dotard tweeted (or done) anything useful about this horrendous occurrence?
I don't recall hearing of anything.
But there could be big problems, because we don't necessarily go along with what the Feds want. We recently became a "sanctuary state", which means our law enforcement folks don't cooperate much about turning illegal immigrants over to the Feds. (Mostly, I think, if the immigrant is being released from local/state custody, they won't hold the person for the Feds simply for the illegal immigration.) Some cities, like SF, had already declared themselves sanctuaries. IIRC, the folks in DC (Washington) have said it will cost us the loss of various gov't grants.
Plus pot is illegal at the federal level, but legal here. Obama tried to cut people some slack; but the current administration ain't inclined that way. So Feds sometimes raid a facility or farm that is legal under state law.
I wouldn't be surprised if T ties aid to getting rid of the state sanctuary law. And encourages more raids.
![[Help]](graemlins/help.gif)
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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")
Posts: 18601 | From: Chilling out in an undisclosed, sincere pumpkin patch. | Registered: Oct 2001
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Well, he seems hell-bent on getting rid of every civilised aspect of recent US progress, so yes, watch this space...
![[Disappointed]](graemlins/disappointed.gif)
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
This hauntingly beautiful video of singing Samoan firefighters showed up in my video feed. I'm unclear of it's providence-- in some contexts it's suggested they are, in fact, at the Santa Rosa fire, and the surrounding forest vegetation certainly looks like that could be the case (and we do have firefighters who came in from Hawaii, which has a large Samoan population). Either way I found it beautiful.
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
Meanwhile, here in So. Cal., I awoke this morning to the spectacular sunrise that was my first clue that our own hills are now ablaze. As I mentioned before, our wildfires can be incredibly beautiful... if you're not running for your life (which I am not at this point).
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
The Samoan Firefighters:
![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
From the anonymous writer of the YouTube text re the video:
quote:
These firefighters come down the mountain singing praises to our Lord, and it's such a beautiful sight to see. No matter what they face or how much they go through, it's the Lord that keeps pure joy and smiles on their faces.
I love watching moments like these where the love for the Lord shines through. We need more people like this in this world!
Amen!
Meanwhile, ![[Votive]](graemlins/votive.gif) for SoCal....
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
Even those who do not subscribe to that particular religious POV can still see the beauty in their practice.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Golden Key
Shipmate
# 1468
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Posted
Just now watching local news. A couple of new, "small fires" in the North Bay (where the others have been). From the map shown, looks like most of the previous fires are about 75% contained.
Also a fire south, near Santa Cruz.
Possibility of rain, in a few days.
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Blessed Gator, pray for us!
--"Oh bat bladders, do you have to bring common sense into this?" (Dragon, "Jane & the Dragon")
--"Oh, Peace Train, save this country!" (Yusuf/Cat Stevens, "Peace Train")
Posts: 18601 | From: Chilling out in an undisclosed, sincere pumpkin patch. | Registered: Oct 2001
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
My friend in Santa Rosa evacuated from his house. Prudently, he didn't announce on social media that he was not at home. And, a great blessing, when the police let the family back into the neighborhood again his house is still standing.
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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Net Spinster
Shipmate
# 16058
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Posted
Suppose to rain tomorrow in the north bay which is good news.
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spinner of webs
Posts: 1093 | From: San Francisco Bay area | Registered: Dec 2010
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Gramps49
Shipmate
# 16378
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Posted
Meanwhile, Trump has no plans to visit the California fire zones, though it has not been ruled out.
Posts: 2193 | From: Pullman WA | Registered: Apr 2011
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
I'm resurrecting this thread because now it's southern California's turn. This week we've had the Skirball fire (within the city of Los Angeles, in the Sepulveda pass, near the Getty Center, mostly contained), the Lilac fire (San Diego County, partly contained), the Creek fire (Sylmar - LA County, mostly contained), the Rye fire (Santa Clarita - LA County, mostly contained), the Liberty fire (Riverside County, contained), and the Thomas fire, still raging out of control in Ventura and now Santa Barbara Counties -- more than 200,000 acres burned, which for reference is more than 300 square miles (roughly 800 square kilometers). The reasons only one person has died in the Thomas fire are that it ignited in the early evening, so people were still awake and alert, and also because the reports of the loss of life in northern California in October made people get the hell out when they were told to go. But the devastation is enormous. Hundreds of homes have been lost, scores of thoroughbred horses have been killed, not to mention the other horses and ponies kept by people who live in the city/country interface. And all the pets they couldn't save. And the wildlife.
This isn't just weather anymore. As this Rolling Stone article points out, "The Thomas fire is the first wintertime megafire in California history."
quote:
In its first several hours, the Thomas fire grew at a rate of one football field per second, expanding 30-fold, and engulfing entire neighborhoods in the dead of night. Hurricane force winds have produced harrowing conditions for firefighters. Faced with such impossible conditions, in some cases, all they could do is move people to safety, and stand and watch.
...
There's a whole series of links between climate change and this week's fires. Ten years ago, scientists warned of possible lengthening of the Santa Ana fire season, and the data bear that out. Fire season is more than a month longer now, and 13 of the state's top 20 fires in history have happened since 2000. This year's "rainy" season has also been suspiciously absent so far, with Los Angeles rainfall 94 percent below normal since October. Right now, the atmosphere over the West Coast is the driest in recorded history. There's no rain in the forecast for at least the next two weeks – the current fires could last until Christmas.
Climate change isn't coming up in the not too distant future. It's already here.
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Rossweisse
High Church Valkyrie
# 2349
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Posted
You're right - climate change is here. And it is terrifying.
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I'm not dead yet.
Posts: 15117 | From: Valhalla | Registered: Feb 2002
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simontoad
Ship's Amphibian
# 18096
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Posted
Again the pictures are horrendous. These fires are in the middle of suburban areas I think (not sure). It kind of reminds me of Sydney's North Shore, the way bush and 'burb interlace.
My locality will hit mega-danger time very soon, usually the season lasts till the end of March. It's been wet here, which is a blessing and a curse.
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Human
Posts: 1571 | From: Romsey, Vic, AU | Registered: May 2014
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
We drove from L.A. to Santa Barbara this week to visit our daughter's family. Driving through the burn area was poignant-- everything scorched on both sides of the freeway, all the way down to the ocean, smoke so thick you could only see a few feet ahead of you, hot spots still smoldering and flaring up around us. In Santa Barbara everyone is wearing face masks, they were giving them away free at Costco and other stores-- but impossible to find a parking space. Very concerned for my infant granddaughter with special needs-- they don't make particulate masks small enough for her.
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
Where is the smoke going? There must a plume heading somewhere.
On the climate change thing, we're 8°C above normal for the last month. It's not hard frozen like it's supposed to be.
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
Where is the smoke going? There must a plume heading somewhere.
On the climate change thing, we're 8°C above normal for the last month. It's not hard frozen like it's supposed to be.
From 3 days ago
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
To give a scale, a straight line across the coast represented in the image is nearly the length of England, north to south.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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simontoad
Ship's Amphibian
# 18096
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Posted
ok, so only a short distance. Good to know.
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Human
Posts: 1571 | From: Romsey, Vic, AU | Registered: May 2014
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
Daughter, SIL, and infant granddaughter evacuated last night and are safely esconsed in their our spare bedroom. They took photos of the raw fire surrounding them on their drive down the coast-- spectacular, beautiful, and horrifying
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Do I take it that the area covered by the fire(s) is pretty well equivalent to that of this country, i.e. Ukland?
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
(O, BTW, has The Tangerine Tweetmeister - thanks, Rossweisse - visited yet, to charm the stricken, and to allay their fears?)
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bishops Finger:
Do I take it that the area covered by the fire(s) is pretty well equivalent to that of this country, i.e. Ukland?
No. If you look at the image I linked, you will see that the actual source of the smoke is much smaller. The largest fire, to the north in that image, has burned an area equivalent to just over half of London.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Ah yes, I see now.
Still horrendous, nonetheless.
IJ
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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