Re: [xmca] Fires in San Diego County

From: Andy Blunden <ablunden who-is-at mira.net>
Date: Wed Oct 24 2007 - 00:24:22 PDT

Best of luck Mike.
It must be autumn in California. How outrageous that you are getting such
wildfires at this time. Our bush fire season will be getting started in a
couple of months. After 11 years of drought, and the driest 5 years ever
recorded, it seems hardly believable that there is anything left to burn.
Farmers are leaving the land in droves. There is a lot of reporting of the
Californian fires here in Australia, but the interest is very focused on
Malibu and how these people ever get their mansions insured. Also a lot of
talk about whether perhaps Californians should think about how to live with
fire, i.e, residents taking responsibility for clearing land etc., etc.,
but I gather from your response to Paul and the film we see that it is just
toooooo big for any human effort to withstand. How is the Exterminator
doing in this situation? We also hear that people are being really good to
each other. Helping each other out rather than looting your house while
you're away. I remember at the age of about 14 getting on the back a truck
and going off to fight the fires on the fringes of Melbourne. It was just
like war, but people weren't hurting each other. ... ramble ramble, I
second the concern for your bookshelf and filing cabinet ...
anyway, best of luck Mike.
Andy
At 02:42 PM 23/10/2007 -0700, you wrote:
>You ain't seen nothing like this, Paul. When there is zero humidity, 90%
>temp, 50+ mile an hour winds, there is nothing to be done. At present the
>collective efforts of xmca seem to have shifted winds from East to West. I
>sure do appreciate all that help saving our house!!
>:-). Next 24 hours should tell the tale.
>
>SDSU and all other institutions of civil life are pretty much closed for the
>week. But despite the incredible scope of the crisis, so far everything is
>orderly and pretty friendly.
>mike
>
>On 10/23/07, Paul Dillon <phd_crit_think@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > mike,
> >
> > i grew up in SoCal and lived there through many forest fires, the Altadena
> > fire of 1993 coming within 1/2 mile of the house I lived in at the foot of
> > the San Gabriel mountains. My uncle's home in Bel Air was the only survivor
> > on his block after the forest fire that swept though that elite
> community in
> > 1961. But from what the satellite photos reveal there is simply no
> > comparison. So big, so fast! In Malibu I can understand how the fire gets
> > all the way to the coast. But in San Diego? wouldn't it have had to
> jump 10
> > lane freeways to get down that far? I haven't been able to find a good map
> > of the fires yet to really understand what's going on.
> >
> > Since my son lives in San Diego I'm especially concerned although I doubt
> > the SDSU area is threatened. But the air must be almost unbreathable from
> > the smoke plumes shown in the satellite images.
> >
> > My thoughts are focused on you back in your home . Stay well in the
> > meantime.
> >
> > Paul
> >
> > *Mike Cole <lchcmike@gmail.com>* wrote:
> >
> > Thanks to the many people who have expressed concern about the situation
> > here in San Diego county.
> > It is an unbelievable conflagration and it is directly threatening the
> > homes
> > of several colleagues as well as
> > my own. We have been forced to leave our home and possessions and move
> > out.
> > We are living with friends near the UCSD campus which is not threatened at
> > present.
> >
> > UCSD is officially closed, but so long as the electricity and internet
> > connections are working, I suspect that
> > folks will keep on chatting and we will keep on supporting it.
> >
> > mike
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  Andy Blunden : http://home.mira.net/~andy/ tel (H) +61 3 9380 9435,
mobile 0409 358 651

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Received on Wed Oct 24 00:26 PDT 2007

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