dispatch from san diego...the Devil Winds

[MzJoey]

"Los Vientos del Diablo", winds of the devil, that's what Santa Ana's are callled in Spanish. Like Festingater described so well in his weather speak it was the high pressure over the 4 corners area that pushes these hot winds down over San Diego's lil nubby foothills, down through the canyons and mesas to the ocean. It has been in the high 80's and 90's, with 8-9 percent humidity....think about what it's like in a convection oven.
Politicians and money grubbing developers have overbuild in areas where people should not live, some areas burn regularly...i'm always amazed when folks re build in the same places that will burn again. Jeff talks about trees and natural environments...we have tons and tons of Eucalyptus trees and other "trash trees" that are not native to san diego, they explode when they catch on fire due to the high oil content...san diego's native landscaping is a 6-8 foot chapparel with maybe sycamores, live oaks in the river beds and ravines...God did not intend this land to be built with Starbucks, mcDonalds and rows of houses and non-native landscaping.
I live in the city like Jaypee said (oh what a lovely spring day that was Jane, and I enjoyed our lunch very very much!!)...very near the San Diego Zoo and downtown area. So i'm ok, my dog is ok, and my immediate family are fine....thank all of you who have asked about me!!

There are over 300,000 people evacuated in the county, my heart goes out to them...dogs, horses, pot bellied pigs...you name it, they are evacuated too. All schools, courts and big companies are closed down this week, we are being encouraged to stay off the roads. The air quality is horrific, ash is coming down and covers every outdoor surface. All windows and doors must remain shut (remember it's hot outside) and now the energy people are telling us to use less electricity...i've had one fan going on and Bryant and I are hunkered down inside the house.

Now, we are getting winds off of the ocean which brings in a lil cooler air, however these winds are pushing the fire back on to itself and now homes that survived the fire going one way might be in danger again! Whew!!
I'm going to refrain from comments here on FEMA, local governments and the reaction of the communities in the face of this conflagration. There is NO comparison with NOLA and California and their unique disasters....each situation has so many mitigating factors that any general comparisons are far off the mark. Ask me at Mirliton fest about it or email me and i'd be happy to discuss...i just don't want to get into a "debate" about the differences/similarities on the board at this time...k?

love to all...

[ibjamn]

I'm glad you're ok, chica! Those are some horrible fires! Last night David said, "That's worse than the flood, at least we had something to rebuild."
Stay safe!

[Marc Stone]

Man, my heart really goes out to everyone in So. Cal. Good luck to everyone, and I hope the fires die out fast. I'm grateful for you guys that there has been so little loss of life, and I hope it stays that way, but I can't imagine such huge areas just being burned away. I'm sure you have the deepest sympathies of anyone in/from NOLA.

[rosetree]

Glad you're safe Mz. J!

[ohio]

So glad you're ok, Joey!

A horrible disaster.

[Amy Winette]

Joey, so glad to hear you're okay, our hearts go out to everyone evacuated too . . .

[festivalgirl]

Great to hear from you!! Steve lived in your 'hood for years [near Balboa Park]. His brothers, cousins, aunt/uncle are all over the area and have finally let back home. It's hard to believe our air can be worse here in LA but it is. The health ramifications are going to be huge.

I believe the goal in So Cal is to develop every possible square inch with ugly housing developments that people can't afford.

I always had hope that San Diego wouldn't follow LA's path but alas.........

You know where to find us if there's anything you need!!!

[linza22]

"Los Vientos del Diablo", winds of the devil, that's what Santa Ana's are callled in Spanish. Like Festingater described so well in his weather speak it was the high pressure over the 4 corners area that pushes these hot winds down over San Diego's lil nubby foothills, down through the canyons and mesas to the ocean. It has been in the high 80's and 90's, with 8-9 percent humidity....think about what it's like in a convection oven.
Politicians and money grubbing developers have overbuild in areas where people should not live, some areas burn regularly...i'm always amazed when folks re build in the same places that will burn again. Jeff talks about trees and natural environments...we have tons and tons of Eucalyptus trees and other "trash trees" that are not native to san diego, they explode when they catch on fire due to the high oil content...san diego's native landscaping is a 6-8 foot chapparel with maybe sycamores, live oaks in the river beds and ravines...God did not intend this land to be built with Starbucks, mcDonalds and rows of houses and non-native landscaping.
I live in the city like Jaypee said (oh what a lovely spring day that was Jane, and I enjoyed our lunch very very much!!)...very near the San Diego Zoo and downtown area. So i'm ok, my dog is ok, and my immediate family are fine....thank all of you who have asked about me!!

There are over 300,000 people evacuated in the county, my heart goes out to them...dogs, horses, pot bellied pigs...you name it, they are evacuated too. All schools, courts and big companies are closed down this week, we are being encouraged to stay off the roads. The air quality is horrific, ash is coming down and covers every outdoor surface. All windows and doors must remain shut (remember it's hot outside) and now the energy people are telling us to use less electricity...i've had one fan going on and Bryant and I are hunkered down inside the house.

Now, we are getting winds off of the ocean which brings in a lil cooler air, however these winds are pushing the fire back on to itself and now homes that survived the fire going one way might be in danger again! Whew!!
I'm going to refrain from comments here on FEMA, local governments and the reaction of the communities in the face of this conflagration. There is NO comparison with NOLA and California and their unique disasters....each situation has so many mitigating factors that any general comparisons are far off the mark. Ask me at Mirliton fest about it or email me and i'd be happy to discuss...i just don't want to get into a "debate" about the differences/similarities on the board at this time...k?

love to all...

so glad you are all right! i'm gonna piggy back on your post, if you don't mind....lot's of animals are having trouble out there too. please throw a couple of bucks at the Humane Society of the United States.

https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=16461415

[MzJoey]

I just came back from makin' groceries, the dog food aisle was decimated, the allergy relief meds were also wiped out, bottled water too, baby food aisle was pretty picked over as well...and i am miles away from the fires...but the evacuees are everywhere.
Yes, health issues from the air quality will become a bigger issue in the coming weeks i'm sure. Everybody has raspy voices and red eyes, some people are wearing masks while outside.
Now I have electricity, it went out for 3 hours earlier...but ALL of our major 'transformer/switch stations' are in areas where there are active fires...i wouldn't be surprised if we are visited by rolling blackouts. Damn I shoulda filled up my propane tank LAST weekend!
Anyway folks, thanks for your positive energy and good thoughts!
joey (oh yeah, keep any cell calls coming into SoCali short, we are being asked to not use cells as available towers have burned and emergency personnel should be using the available signals)

[mightyradgumbo]

Yes they are truly the devil winds, Joey...good to hear that you are ok

[MzJoey]

I am happy to be home, even if it's hot...at least i can lie in my own bed at night...i am truly one of the lucky ones (luck Hell, I purposely did not buy a home in hte backcounty...besides I'm a city kinda grrrl...haha)
looking forward to meeting ya's next week!

[grisgris]

Glad you are alright sweet Joey. See you next week. Prayers for the Cali bunch that the fires will go away very soon.

[ozzie]

Thanks Joey. Glad you and yours are okay. A horrid situation and our thoughts are with everyone and all the critters.

[ScoopJohnD]

Let me add to the chorus of being glad you are okay. It is truly frightening how unpredictable fire can be and the damage it can cause. Thoughts and prayers to everyone out there.

[festbabe]

Good karma going out the west coast. Y'all be safe...

[Fred (Texas JF Fanatic)]

It is great to hear your doing ok Joey. Please keep us updated.

[Corona]

Oh man Joey, that's nasty! So glad you're okay though. Thoughts and prayers heading to SoCal from here. Love ya and see you soon!!! xoxoxo

[Amyloves...]

So heartbreaking Joey....I'm so sorry.

[mymecca]

sooooooo glad to hear from you...will see you in NOLA very soon...muah!

[mightyradgumbo]

I am happy to be home, even if it's hot...at least i can lie in my own bed at night...i am truly one of the lucky ones (luck Hell, I purposely did not buy a home in hte backcounty...besides I'm a city kinda grrrl...haha)
looking forward to meeting ya's next week!

I know what it means ;) I lived in the beautiful So Cal region when these fires reared their ugly heads in the LA county and SD county regions back in the fabulous 80s...Such a lovely view of heaven on a clear night but a troublesome one at this point in time---See ya in NOLA

[Zydekitten]

Having lived in SoCal for a number of years back in the 80-90's and survived the Devil Winds and some close calls (with family who have lost everything to fires) . . . I'm very, very glad to hear that you're okay.

Hang in there - good thoughts and karma on its way! :)

[t.o..fester]

Glad to hear you are okay Joey. I still cannot get in touch with friends who live in Rancho Bernardo, which I understand was hit pretty badly. Also have friends just east of La Jolla that I have not been able to contact. But I'll keep trying.

[MzJoey]

Rancho Bernardo has been one of the hardest areas hit...they began 're-populating' late yesterday, but certain areas are fine and others are not accessible yet. This has created a lot of confusion, lots of waiting in long lines of cars to be allowed back in. Those neighborhoods have no postal office, grocery stores or gasoline stations...not to mention ash, ash, everywhere layers of gooky ash. So while folks might think they can just 'go home'....a lot of cleaning up and 'adjusting' is happening.
Keep trying, some of our cell towers are lost and so some cell phones are having trouble.
Good luck reaching your friends, and i'm sure they'll have some tales to tell! Thanks for your positive thoughts!

[t.o..fester]

Rancho Bernardo has been one of the hardest areas hit...they began 're-populating' late yesterday, but certain areas are fine and others are not accessible yet. This has created a lot of confusion, lots of waiting in long lines of cars to be allowed back in. Those neighborhoods have no postal office, grocery stores or gasoline stations...not to mention ash, ash, everywhere layers of gooky ash. So while folks might think they can just 'go home'....a lot of cleaning up and 'adjusting' is happening.
Keep trying, some of our cell towers are lost and so some cell phones are having trouble.
Good luck reaching your friends, and i'm sure they'll have some tales to tell! Thanks for your positive thoughts!

I finally heard from them and things are good. They are back in their home.

[MzJoey]

Those folks in Rancho Bernardo were pretty hard hit, I'm glad they had a home to return to!
Out and about you can see little clumps of people camped out in parking lots, the beach and bay parking look like 4th of July with all the RV's parked out there. Most evacuations have been lifted, but a city to the North, Ramona, a city of 45K is without water for about a week, that's got to be miserable. You can see cars and RV[s on the roads with big orange swatches of flame retardant that was dropped in their neighborhoods.
Animal shelters are overrun with animals,from horses down to cats, as rescues in burnt out neighborhoods have begun for stranded animals. During the days of the fire i noticed the song birds very quiet, it was so erie!
People with respiratory problems have been impacted a lot, as the air quality has been horrible...it's is improving a lot, but the orange sunrises and sunsets tell me that there is still a lot of particulates in the air.
T.o. fester....glad you found your friends and they are ok!

[Belle]

MZJoey
thanks for the posts. You give me the chills with your discriptions. Glad you are ok and pray for those with the long road to hoe.

[MzJoey]

for your positive energy...and healing thoughts.