So Cal Burning

[festivalgirl]

We're city dwellers so we're okay but if any of you out there are in fire peril and need help, let us know.

It's pretty much burning from the Mexican Border to Santa Barbara County Line.

ckobrin at pacbell dot net

[rosetree]

Isn't Mz. Joey out there?????

[995webmaster]

Wish I could send you some rain--we've already had 6+ inches in parts of NOLa today....

[chrisjoseph]

We have three of our staff on stand-by ready to evacuate their homes. Also, our Santa Clarita office is closed, at least for today. :(

[barry10016]

We have three of our staff on stand-by ready to evacuate their homes. Also, our Santa Clarita office is closed, at least for today. :(

careful out there bro!

[ohio]

I have family in Mission Viejo area, but can't reach them- any info???

[papafrog]

the huge sandiego zoo has been closed, and the animals are being moved..
phew....heavy stuff....talking about 250,000 people being evacuated at least..

[festivalgirl]

I have family in Mission Viejo area, but can't reach them- any info???

There is a fire in Foothill Ranch which is East of them. The other fires are South. As of now, het fires are not on the ocean side of the freeway. I'm guessing cell phone service will be sketchy because a lot of the land burning is where the towers are.

Steve's family is south of Mission Veijo. They have alot of smoke and are just hunkered down right now.

[festivalgirl]

Isn't Mz. Joey out there?????

Yes. I think she is in an area that is West of the fires but I can't be certain. She works at a college, right? Do you know which one?

Steve grew up down there and knows what's going on better than I do so I'm checking with him. He's got some co-workers who couldn't get to work so he'll be there late. But I'm happy to pass along as much info [with his help] as I can.

[rosetree]

Yes. I think she is in an area that is West of the fires but I can't be certain. She works at a college, right? Do you know which one?

Steve grew up down there and knows what's going on better than I do so I'm checking with him. He's got some co-workers who couldn't get to work so he'll be there late. But I'm happy to pass along as much info [with his help] as I can.

I know that they evacuated Pepperdine for a time...:eek:
Good thoughts for Mz.J......

[festivalgirl]

I know that they evacuated Pepperdine for a time...:eek:
Good thoughts for Mz.J......

Yeah. Pepperdine is about 150 miles north of San Diego.

The San Diego fires are in areas they refer to as "North County" and "East County" [don't know if Joey has ever referred to where she is that way]. There are also fires down by the Mexican Border. It's quite a mess. :(

[festbabe]

Fires in CA...flooding in NO...can't we put the two together?

[festivalgirl]

San Diego Chargers left to practice in Phoenix. Their home game with the Texans may be moved to Houston.

They did the same thing during the '03 fires.

[rosetree]

Fires in CA...flooding in NO...can't we put the two together?

Drought in ATL.....crazy freakin' weather......

[festbabe]

Drought in ATL.....crazy freakin' weather......

And 50 degrees today in Texas, down to mid-40s overnight...that's cold to the southern gal....

[festivalgirl]

Drought in ATL.....crazy freakin' weather......

But this climate change thing is just a hoax ....... :rolleyes:

[rosetree]

But this climate change thing is just a hoax ....... :rolleyes:

I blame Al Gore!!!!!

(ducks for cover :p ;) :D )

[festivalgirl]

I blame Al Gore!!!!!

(ducks for cover :p ;) :D )

If he hadn't written that book or made that movie we'd all be fine, right? ;)

[What's the symbol for head in sand?!?!]

[festivalgirl]

[What's the symbol for head in sand?!?!]

Oh, wait .. I remember ... it's "W". :rolleyes: :eek:

[festbabe]

Oh, wait .. I remember ... it's "W". :rolleyes: :eek:

:D

[Zydekitten]

Oh, wait .. I remember ... it's "W". :rolleyes: :eek:
LMAO!!! True dat!!

I hope all of the Angelino/SoCal Threadheads are safe and well . . . I remember when I first moved to L.A. and was living in the Pacific Palisades highlands . . . we had some real close calls and scary fire seasons when the Santa Anas begin to blow every October.

My ex-uncle-in-law lost his house and everything he had in the Laguna Beach fire a few years ago, and my own Uncle and his friend just lost their two trailers and their stuff in a fire up north of Nevada City last night. :(

[chrisjoseph]

Actually, having "Santa Ana winds" in Southern California in October is completely normal. what is exacerbating the problem (and contributing to the fire danger) is the drought we've experienced. Which, isn't all that unusual, either. Global warming is a huge issue that needs to be addressed; but I'm not so sure that what we're experiencing is related to that. Every few years, we have fire problems in California. I've been here all my life, and have seen this (unfortumately) too many times.

[Blitzzzzz]

Actually, having "Santa Ana winds" in Southern California in October is completely normal. what is exacerbating the problem (and contributing to the fire danger) is the drought we've experienced. Which, isn't all that unusual, either. Global warming is a huge issue that needs to be addressed; but I'm not so sure that what we're experiencing is related to that. Every few years, we have fire problems in California. I've been here all my life, and have seen this (unfortumately) too many times.

I hope everyone gets out of this ok! I heard that someone estimated 2,000 homes destroyed by the time this is over. Terribly sad for those folks, but I can't help wondering where the conservative voices are that called for abandoning New Orleans after the flood. Oh, wait, this is San Diego, I suppose that's different.:cool:

[festivalgirl]

Actually, having "Santa Ana winds" in Southern California in October is completely normal. what is exacerbating the problem (and contributing to the fire danger) is the drought we've experienced. Which, isn't all that unusual, either. Global warming is a huge issue that needs to be addressed; but I'm not so sure that what we're experiencing is related to that. Every few years, we have fire problems in California. I've been here all my life, and have seen this (unfortumately) too many times.

I agree. I've always felt that the problem is the desire to bulldoze every square inch on So Cal to put up another housing development. The burn is unfortunately normal but each year there are more homes to burn. Even in a normal climate situation, we have over populated for the amount of water we could possibly ever have. And apparently we just can't have enough thirsty golf courses.

[festivalgirl]

LMAO!!! True dat!!

I hope all of the Angelino/SoCal Threadheads are safe and well . . . I remember when I first moved to L.A. and was living in the Pacific Palisades highlands . . . we had some real close calls and scary fire seasons when the Santa Anas begin to blow every October.

My ex-uncle-in-law lost his house and everything he had in the Laguna Beach fire a few years ago, and my own Uncle and his friend just lost their two trailers and their stuff in a fire up north of Nevada City last night. :(

That sucks. Anything we can do to help?

[chrisjoseph]

and we build homes in fire danger areas. While this is terribly sad for those who have lost their homes, this is not surprising at all. As I've said, if you live here you know that this happens every few years.

[festivalgirl]

I hope everyone gets out of this ok! I heard that someone estimated 2,000 homes destroyed by the time this is over. Terribly sad for those folks, but I can't help wondering where the conservative voices are that called for abandoning New Orleans after the flood. Oh, wait, this is San Diego, I suppose that's different.:cool:

Their Conservative voices are either in Jail or under investigation! Good Ol' Duke Cunnigham et al.

[festivalgirl]

and we build homes in fire danger areas. While this is terribly sad for those who have lost their homes, this is not surprising at all. As I've said, if you live here you know that this happens every few years.

It always amazes me that people continue to purchase in these ares. I guess the upside of Koreatown is they got rid of anything green years ago.

[Blitzzzzz]

Their Conservative voices are either in Jail or under investigation! Good Ol' Duke Cunnigham et al.

Sadly, they weren't all from California!:cool:

[Jada]

Sending karma to California. So sad :(

[Zydekitten]

That sucks. Anything we can do to help?
Thanks so much, Chrissa . . . I don't know yet what can be done to help them - it's all still so new.

What makes it really awful is that apparently they weren't supposed to be living in trailers on their land (I don't know why, but that's what my Mom said today) and after the firefighters put out the fires, they then began to take photos of everything . . . I guess for evidence.

My Uncle is a great person and has had some truly hard times - before he moved up to the Sierra foothills, he had been homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Not to mention that he's in his late 60's and has some health issues.

So, I guess the only thing that I and anyone else can do right now is send them some good karma - thanks.

[mwgirlonherown]

Thoughts and prayers will be with all our threadheads in Southern Cal and New Orleans tonight!

Be safe everyone.

[festivalgirl]

Thanks so much, Chrissa . . . I don't know yet what can be done to help them - it's all still so new.

What makes it really awful is that apparently they weren't supposed to be living in trailers on their land (I don't know why, but that's what my Mom said today) and after the firefighters put out the fires, they then began to take photos of everything . . . I guess for evidence.

My Uncle is a great person and has had some truly hard times - before he moved up to the Sierra foothills, he had been homeless on the streets of San Francisco. Not to mention that he's in his late 60's and has some health issues.

So, I guess the only thing that I and anyone else can do right now is send them some good karma - thanks.

Consider it sent!!

[Zydekitten]

Consider it sent!!
Thanks, darlin! Mine is going back to everybody on the West Coast.

[glinda]

Prayers for rain in so cal and dry days for new orleans.

[ohio]

There is a fire in Foothill Ranch which is East of them. The other fires are South. As of now, het fires are not on the ocean side of the freeway. I'm guessing cell phone service will be sketchy because a lot of the land burning is where the towers are.

Steve's family is south of Mission Veijo. They have alot of smoke and are just hunkered down right now.
Thanks. Still can't get in touch, but we think they are on vacation. My dad just moved out of Rancho Santa Margarita a few months back.

[ozzie]

Thanks for keeping us posted Chrissa.

I had an email from Mz Joey this morning, but she didn't mention the fires. My address for her is just San Diego... maybe she's in the city too.

Take good care y'all.

[neverleft]

This whole fire thing in So Cal totally blows my mind. I grew up here and have pretty much lived here my whole life. Two things come to mind for me.
We never had fires like this when I was a kid, it just didn't seem to happen. Also, last weekend I was joking with some friends about how hot (up to 100 degrees) it was going to be this week. I also never remember the temperature getting that hot in the end of October.

I have family and friends that were evacuated from there homes in Poway (close to San Diego) They seem to be OK, but there homes may be gone. I hope not.

[festivalgirl]

This whole fire thing in So Cal totally blows my mind. I grew up here and have pretty much lived here my whole life. Two things come to mind for me.
We never had fires like this when I was a kid, it just didn't seem to happen. Also, last weekend I was joking with some friends about how hot (up to 100 degrees) it was going to be this week. I also never remember the temperature getting that hot in the end of October.

I have family and friends that were evacuated from there homes in Poway (close to San Diego) They seem to be OK, but there homes may be gone. I hope not.

Steve has cousins in Poway as well. They went to their parents in Encinitas today[they have three little kids]. How are things by you?

[festivalgirl]

Thanks for keeping us posted Chrissa.

I had an email from Mz Joey this morning, but she didn't mention the fires. My address for her is just San Diego... maybe she's in the city too.

Take good care y'all.

That's good to hear about Mz Joey. The San Diego County fires seemed to get bad really fast today. Steve has a lot of family down there so he made a lot of calls today.

Hopefully the next updates will be better!!

[neverleft]

Steve has cousins in Poway as well. They went to their parents in Encinitas today[they have three little kids]. How are things by you?

Everything is fine here. Work is a little crazy, people missing to stay home because of this. My cousins in Poway told me some friends have lost there homes. They aren't sure about there home or neighborhood.

[mightyradgumbo]

That's good to hear about Mz Joey. The San Diego County fires seemed to get bad really fast today. Steve has a lot of family down there so he made a lot of calls today.

Hopefully the next updates will be better!!

Having lived in SoCal back in the early 80s...Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista, the beauteous South County-I know only too well these have been going on for quite a while now. Their intensity and frequency have increased though I do believe. Speaking of global warming-82degrees on the way into work today at 130PM here in Boston-82 in Boston in October, yeah that's normal.
Prayers and Karma to both of my stomping grounds of L.A. and LA. ;) Maybe we can bottle the LA. r@#n and drop it on L.A.

[festivalgirl]

Having lived in SoCal back in the early 80s...Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista, the beauteous South County-I know only too well these have been going on for quite a while now. Their intensity and frequency have increased though I do believe. Speaking of global warming-82degrees on the way into work today at 130PM here in Boston-82 in Boston in October, yeah that's normal.
Prayers and Karma to both of my stomping grounds of L.A. and LA. ;) Maybe we can bottle the LA. r@#n and drop it on L.A.

I'm thinking pipeline!!

[Michelino]

Very frustrating to watch all this bad weather in California and Louisiana . All I can do at this point is to send hope and prayers.

[festivalgirl]

Everything is fine here. Work is a little crazy, people missing to stay home because of this. My cousins in Poway told me some friends have lost there homes. They aren't sure about there home or neighborhood.

Yeah, Steve was at work a few extra hours due to people staying home.

Of all things, the cousin in Poway has his PhD in Plant Biology/Ecology and studies climate change. It would be a horrible irony if he lost his house in a fire.

[NYMAMA]

Sending prayers and good karma your way.

[brooklyngal]

The fires look so incredibly scary. Good karma sent to all those in So Cal and also to your uncle Zydekitten!

[jhjpotter]

And 50 degrees today in Texas, down to mid-40s overnight...that's cold to the southern gal....sheesh. sposed to be in the high 50's in idaho today way up north here.

[jhjpotter]

Thoughts and prayers to everyone dealing with this mess. Nature has this ability to show us on a pretty regular basis that we have no control.

[festivalgirl]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117631292961056724014.00043d21dedd02f5ae1f7&ll=33.651208,-118.146973&spn=2.199313,4.405518&z=8&om=0

This is the link to a Google Map the LA Times has put up. It shows where the fires are for any of you out there with family in the region.

[mightyradgumbo]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117631292961056724014.00043d21dedd02f5ae1f7&ll=33.651208,-118.146973&spn=2.199313,4.405518&z=8&om=0

This is the link to a Google Map the LA Times has put up. It shows where the fires are for any of you out there with family in the region.

Thanks for that link...some of my old stomping grounds caught ablaze it seems...continued good vibes going out to the west side of the country

[festivalgirl]

Thanks for that link...some of my old stomping grounds caught ablaze it seems...continued good vibes going out to the west side of the country

I remember you telling us that you were out here for a while. Do you still have friends out here or just good memories?

[Jaypee]

I had a brief work stint in San Diego this past spring, and had the pleasure of dining with Mz. Joey...I picked her up at her home, which I believe was close to the zoo and Balboa Park. I think it was near a university, too. I looked at a map that shows the fire activity, and it doesn't seem to be near that neighborhood. She may have evacuated, and let's hope her home is OK.

[Belle]

Most folks who study these events say that the magnitude of these fires is the result of three primary factors: 1) severe drought, accompanied by a series of storms that produced thousands of lightning strikes and windy conditions. The current gradients between high and low pressure systems is really squeezing the air out of the mountains and into the canyons. 2) an infestation of bark beetles that has killed thousands of mature trees in the area and 3) the effects of wildfire suppression over the past century that has led to buildup of brush and small-diameter trees in the forests. Our forests today are significantly denser than they were in the past.

In the past forest density was controlled by lightning-started fires that would sweep through clearing out the underbrush and small trees. Today’s forests typically have 300 to 400 mature trees to an acre, along with thick underbrush. This density makes trees susceptible to disease and are less drought and fire-resistant. The thick under-story causes forest fires to burn intensely, which destroys the mature trees, so that the damaged forest can take decades to recover, rather than a few years. Unfortunately, this change in our forests is the result of the well-intentioned but misguided forest management programs started in the 1920s.

Doesnt help that folks choose to build homes in these locations for sure.

Hope the wind patterns change very soon.

[Festngator]

California's fire challenge
Surface maps show a strong high pressure system centered over Nevada and Utah. The clockwise flow of air around this high is driving strong northeasterly winds over Southern California. As the air spills down the mountain passes into coastal San Diego and Los Angeles, gravity helps accelerate the winds. The air compresses and warms as it descends, due to the higher pressures found at sea level. This creates a very hot, low-humidity wind--the dangerous Santa Ana wind. At 1:37 pm PDT yesterday, the humidity in downtown Los Angeles was 8%. Some wind reports Monday afternoon in Southern California, showing the strength of the Santa Ana winds:

Los Angeles County peak wind gusts
---------------------------------------------------
Leo Carrillo Beach... ... ... ... ... ... ... Northeast 44 mph.
Van Nuys... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... North 39 mph.
Tonner Canyon... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... Northeast 46 mph.
Malibu Canyon... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... Northeast 41 mph.
Malibu Hills... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... North 54 mph.
Newhall... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. Northeast 38 mph.
Newhall Pass... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... North 72 mph.
Saugus... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... North 60 mph.
Del Valle... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... Northeast 50 mph.
Acton... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... Northeast 45 mph.
Camp Nine... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... North 71 mph.
Chilao... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Northeast 55 mph.
Mill Creek... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... North 41 mph.
Sandberg... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... East 40 mph.
Warm Springs... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... East 62 mph.
Whitaker Peak... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... North 48 mph.
Lake Palmdale... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... Northeast 46 mph.
Poppy Park... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... East 43 mph.
Saddleback Butte... ... ... ... ... ... ..... East 33 mph.
Lancaster... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... East 31 mph.

Ventura County peak wind gusts
--------------------------------------------
Oxnard... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... East 41 mph.
Camarillo... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... Northeast 51 mph.
Point Mugu... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Northeast 43 mph.
Piru... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... North 49 mph.
Simi Valley... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. Northeast 41 mph.
Thousand Oaks... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... North 42 mph.
Laguna Peak... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. Northwest 62 mph.

Fourteen large wildfires have developed spanning seven counties in California since Saturday, thanks to the Santa Ana winds, and the prevailing extreme drought conditions. Rainfall in San Diego has been a mere 2.6 inches thus far in 2007, 32% of normal. The July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007 period was the 4th driest on record in San Diego. In Los Angeles, it was the driest year since record keeping began 130 years ago. Downtown Los Angeles has recorded just 3.37" of rain thus far in 2007--only 28% of normal.
The forecast
The warm, dry, and windy weather will continue today, bringing a repeat of yesterday's extremely dangerous fire situation. A trough of low pressure is expected to move into northern California Wednesday morning, weakening the high pressure system driving the Santa Ana winds. By Thursday, the Santa Ana winds will be gone, and fire fighters will be able to gain the upper hand.

This may only be the first of several serious fire situations in Southern California in the coming months. Santa Ana winds conditions commonly develop during the October through March period, and the extreme drought conditions in Southern California are not going to improve until at least December, when the winter rainy season typically starts. The 3-month precipitation forecast from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center calls for a 33% chance of below-average rainfall over Southern California for the coming winter.

The University of Wisconsin's CIMSS group has a more detailed blog with many weather maps and satellite animations of the Southern California fires.
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/2007/10/22/wildfires-in-southern-california-part-2/

[t.o..fester]

I heard yesterday that a very good friend of mine, (who has been attending Jazzfest since the mid-80's), has been evacuated from his home north of San Diego. I cannot get in touch with him, but did receive a brief email from a co-worker (and another Jazzfester) saying that they are okay. (Would really like to hear from him.)

[ibjamn]

This is just a horrible situation! I hope they get some relief soon.

[jhjpotter]

In the past forest density was controlled by lightning-started fires that would sweep through clearing out the underbrush and small trees. Today’s forests typically have 300 to 400 mature trees to an acre, along with thick underbrush. This density makes trees susceptible to disease and are less drought and fire-resistant. The thick under-story causes forest fires to burn intensely, which destroys the mature trees, so that the damaged forest can take decades to recover, rather than a few years. Unfortunately, this change in our forests is the result of the well-intentioned but misguided forest management programs started in the 1920s.

Along those lines, a lot of the trees are actually evolved to burn and they have chemicals in their bark that actually fuel the fires like gas or something. A coworker of mine who is a landscape architect explained this to me yesterday, so I can't claim to know any more details than that, but it makes sense. There are pine trees in Yellowstone that actually need fire to burn them out to release the seeds from their pine cones, so it's all part of the cycle that occurred for thousands of years before we decided we could manage things. For better or worse...

[Zbonnie]

I have heard from a friend in Cali that some of the fires were intentionally set, including the one that burned down his friend's house in San Bernadino. In fact, they caught someone setting fires in the San Bernadino forest. What kind of sick f*cks would do that and why?

[Amy Winette]

Continued karma to So Cal. I read they might get a little break in the Santa Ana winds today?? Fingers crossed.

[chrisjoseph]

the wind has definitely lessened today. the forecast is for better conditions. still pretty smokey around here.

[dank_bass]

Having lived in SoCal back in the early 80s...Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista, the beauteous South County-I know only too well these have been going on for quite a while now. Their intensity and frequency have increased though I do believe. Speaking of global warming-82degrees on the way into work today at 130PM here in Boston-82 in Boston in October, yeah that's normal.
Prayers and Karma to both of my stomping grounds of L.A. and LA. ;) Maybe we can bottle the LA. r@#n and drop it on L.A.

Ya know, we had 86 degrees in baltimore, last week. And then was surprised to see that the record for that day was 92 ... in 1947 or something like that, climate patterns are cyclical. Although I'd never argue that global warming isnt happening, Im pretty confident saying that it isnt as black and white as some people make it to be.

[chrisjoseph]

agreed. Not everything can be blamed on global warming, though it is very real and absolutely needs to be addressed very aggressively.

[dank_bass]

agreed. Not everything can be blamed on global warming, though it is very real and absolutely needs to be addressed very aggressively.

Agreed right back at ya ... and my thoughts/prayers/karma ... whatever you wanna call it goes out to all in harms way.