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LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed

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Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed

#161

Post by esalman »

nomel wrote: post #45
esalman wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no air support to contain fire because of dangerously high wind. Asking for drones now is like a dumb person's idea of cheap science fiction.

> Asking for drones now He did not. It would be worth re-reading his comment. He's pointing out that we do have technology that could help with containment : quickly identify fires, communicate their location, and dispatch some local water carriers. He's also surmising that the cost of keeping these active would be less than the cost of damages, which could very well be true. Something like a Reaper drone, which he s…

Donald Trump embraced Elon Musk, we'll have to see where that takes us.

Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed

#164

Post by IvyMike »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #14

With much of California, Texas and Florida property damage is concentrated where folks built where they shouldn’t have [1]. (At times nudged on by subsidised insurance [2].) Is that true in this case, too? (Being so close to LA, it doesn’t strike me that it could be.) If not, is my general thesis off? [1] https://www.npr.org/2023/11/06/1204923950/arizona-california... [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article…

The Eaton fire is currently destroying Altadena in what I would call regular neighborhoods on regular streets. On a good day, it's like 20 minutes from Downtown LA. It's hard to fathom. https://www.reddit.com/r/pasadena/comments/1hwv3od/much_of_a...

Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed

#166

Post by adrr »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #43
esalman wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They've actually stopped permitting new builds or rebuild of burned houses in Santa Ana mountains since last year's airport fire.

Huh, I’m actually surprised a high-risk area is that close to LA. (Santa Monica, no less.)

LA is surrounded by hills and mountains. Hollywood sign has burned down before.

Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed

#168

Post by etblg »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #154
segasaturn wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great question, lets take a look at the 2024-2025 budget sheet for LA City: https://cao.lacity.gov/budget/summary/2024-25%20Budget%20Sum... (This PDF is great, props to whoever made it for making it so easy and accessible for normal people to read.) If you look at the pie chart on Page 11, you will see that by far the largest slice of the pie is the police budget. It's 45% of LA County's entire budget, totalling almo…

Crime is rampant, cut the police budget. I hear ya'.

Judging by the history of the Los Angeles Police Department and their own gangs, run by members of the department, policemen, getting rid of cops might actually help reduce crime!

Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed

#169

Post by fatbird »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #41
esalman wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no air support to contain fire because of dangerously high wind. Asking for drones now is like a dumb person's idea of cheap science fiction.

I think they’re talking about dousing when it first lights. That isn’t “a dumb person’s idea.” But it is presently beyond our capabilities, to say nothing of the huge privacy problem it would entail.

It's also poor fire management practice. California has had 100 years of very aggressive fire suppression that's led to burnable areas being extra-flammable: dry brush, dead material, etc. The wildfires have been much worse the last couple decades because it's catching up to them. These extra-flammable areas burn extra hot, extra fast, and spread much, much more quickly than normal.

Managing wildfire risks mean letting a certain amount burn every year, including deliberately setting fires to create firebreaks and clearing out areas overdue for it. A fleet of drones constantly finding and stopping wildfires in their early stages would do nothing but set the stage for cataclysmic fires down the road.

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