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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

#311

Post by saagarjha »

Mistletoe wrote: post #288
throwaway249281 wrote: post #115

There's a lot of fingerpointing but as Daniel Swain put it: 1. This was completely expected and forecasted both short and long term by regional climate and weather experts. Two very wet winters caused fuel buildup followed by an extremely hot and dry year. 2. There is very little that can be done in these situations. 100 mph gusts of embers can't be fought with hoses and air attack isn't possible in high winds. 3. Ha…

>very little that can be done in these situations I don't agree with that. People can choose to not live there. There is an entire country to live in and we keep crowding in what seem to the worst places to live and then act surprised when it goes badly. Climate change is going to make some places uninhabitable, that's why we tried to prevent it, but no one cares.

Where should they live? People living in the Midwest being hit by freezing winters get told to move to warmer weather…then Georgia gets hit by hurricanes. Move to California to avoid those and your house burns down. It turns out that climate change affects weather everywhere.

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

#312

Post by nsriv »

darth_avocado wrote: post #284
defrost wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a serious interest in emergency service budgets (in Western Australia, although personnel from here do travel to California to assist in our off season). So.. cheers for the update and context, that does highlight a 'loss' of $7 million in training alocation from an over 800 million budget. Do 'we' hold the state of California responsible here for allocating less overall, or the LA Fire Chief for perhaps not m…

The blame starts with the mayor and top brass of the city government. The literal job description involves running the city based on money they have, including prioritizing what’s important. Fire departments and emergency services are the last departments that need budget cuts. Obviously some blame does also fall on the fire chief, but fire departments are usually well run and from the looks of it, there seems to hav…

Agree with everything you have said in this thread, just want to also draw attention to the fact that there are 2400 fewer firefighters in California because California has rightfully reduced the amount of inmate firefighters. I don't know whether they were counted on for these emergency situations.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-09/californ...

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

#313

Post by blackeyeblitzar »

It’s interesting to me how much attention these fires are getting because it affects relatively rich and tourist friendly areas. There are many, many wildfires every year across several states but most don’t even get their governor’s attention, let alone make national news. People seem shocked by what the fires can do but this is what many communities have had to deal with.

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

#314

Post by saagarjha »

anon291 wrote: post #290
mulmen wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still uneasy about it. They're in a vulnerable position and the alternative is unpleasant because of the same people offering the "opportunity". The pay is only legal because they're prisoners. If it was a fair wage I'd be more comfortable although still uneasy.

They're being provided with a full life while the rest of us pay for it. If, at market rate, their earnings make up for the expense the state pays for them, I'd be willing to let them earn it, but I doubt any are earning that much.

A full life…in prison?

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

#315

Post by kristjansson »

anon291 wrote: post #292
kristjansson wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So Newsom made NorCal ship all its water to SoCal, but it’s Newsom’s fault the hydrants ran dry in the Palisades last night? Or that the brush was dry? Come on, at least try to be self-consistent if you’re going spout this stuff.

It's Newsom's (and Schwarzeneggers and Davis, etc...) fault that California hasn't meaningfully added to its reservoir capacity since 1979 yes.

The firefighting last night was a problem of neighborhood-scale water availability. There’s more than enough water in the LA area, but wasn’t enough in the Palisades storage tanks to sustain hours of 750gpm firefighting at dozens of locations.

This event probably changes homeowners and insurers assessment of how much local water storage is enough, and removes local resistance to “unsightly” water storage. But these are muni/county scale infrastructure and policy decisions, basically disconnected from state-level environmentally-relevant decisions.

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

#316

Post by amluto »

joe_the_user wrote: post #283
gonzo41 wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to do fuel reduction burns during winter (when it's wet) so you can reduce the load. They do this near my house in Australia every few years, it's somewhat terrifying to have a slow roll bushfire roll around the house, but it can be managed with care.

This was a wealthy area built within canyons and other natural areas. Controlled burns are possible in some areas but I can't imagine it would have been possible there.

I’m not sure precisely where the fires started, but the neighborhoods in the Palisades are impenetrable hillsides with roads and houses are intervals. They’re about as densely developed as practical given the geography. A controlled burn would be unimaginable there.

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

#317

Post by onecommentman »

rurp wrote: post #56
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stand corrected! I guess the rains caused the desert to burn?

Lightning strikes and humans are probably the most common causes for fires in the desert. Most desert areas in the US are a lot more lush than the blank sand dunes many people think of as desert. Usually there are a lot of bushes and grasses, and higher elevations can pine, juniper, oak, and other trees.

But PJ high desert areas don’t have the same level of destructive wildfires as, say, the Ponderosa pines found at higher elevations or cottonwood bosques. My impression is the fire load per acre in PJ is much lower and the fires are just not destructive. Adobe/masonry construction probably helps too, as does lower density urbanization. Probably easier to fight such fires too. (Limited experience)

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

#318

Post by geysersam »

culi wrote: post #264
bloudermilk wrote: post #170

We lost our house to the Eaton fire this morning. It’s difficult to describe the vastness of the destruction in our community. Everything within a couple square miles of us burned.

I'm sorry for your loss. Are you lucky enough to be in a place where insurers in California are still operating? Hopefully you can at least get financial situation taken off your mind

Are there areas of California where insurers are not operating anymore because of wildfires? That's crazy

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

#319

Post by daedrdev »

mulmen wrote: post #242
s1artibartfast wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are volunteering and usually get time reduced for doing so.

I'm still uneasy about it. They're in a vulnerable position and the alternative is unpleasant because of the same people offering the "opportunity". The pay is only legal because they're prisoners. If it was a fair wage I'd be more comfortable although still uneasy.

It's one of the most sought after opportunities in prison. And the state can't afford to pay them fully. Considering they want to do it, and the state already pays a huge amount to house prisoners, its not that insane
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