SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - Hang in there, California: wild fires

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/\ 17 DAYS LATER

The McKinney Fire is now 95% contained, having destroyed 98 square miles, 30, 000 game-fish from ash runoff, the hamlet of Klamath River and four victims, all in their 70's; identified thru dental records. One in particular was Kathleen Shoopman who for decades had served faithfully in fire watchtowers, devoted giving advance warning against such hazards. :Kaleun_Salute: An article in today's paper points up an issue in post 200 of this thread. California's inmate training program, at $180,000 per trainee, is still failing to provide the manpower for fighting the the infernos. Their criminal record curtails their employment prospects!!? As a result, the US Forest Service is short 1200 smoke-eaters, 500 of them in California and the Dept of the Interior is short 450, 150 of them in California. Early release due to prison Covid epidemic threat is also a factor in this manpower shortage. Legislators are working on bills to expunge records of trainees to ease their post-incarceraton employment issues-we need these guys on the front line choppin' trees, cuttin' brush and setting backfires to combat the flames. This season has 1670 inmates in fire camps; down 40% from 2019. The Correction Dept. was budgeted for 152 crews but fielded just 51, each with 15-18 firefighters. :hmmm:

The current extreme heat wave which hit 114F. yesterday, and set the all-time record for Santa Rosa since 1913: (115F.) where my daughter resides w/o AC:k_confused:; has created the grave situation of "flash drying" of both dead and live fuels which only increases the already extreme fire hazard throughout the state. Lightning strikes are expected in Siskiyou and northern rugged counties which have trigger'd several large fatal conflagrations. Rolling power shut downs throughout the state due to record setting AC demand on PG&E's decayed transmission lines are ocurrring...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby (Post 2826783)

Prayers for you buddy. I can't imagine that hot, dry air with that much vegetation. Here in Kentucky, we feel like it's dry if the humidity gets down to about 50%.

Hollywood is all wet

...with smoke from big fires in northern CA forests; and smoke emanating from Washington state and now blowing south into the Bay area. If that's not enough, Hurricane Hillary, now downgraded to a tropical storm, has inundated LA., Palm Springs, turning northerly thriough the middle of the state along the I-5 and Hwy 99 axis. Las Vegas is expected to be affected in turn! This is the first tropical storm to hit CA since 1939! Just the major flooding on TV, particularly in customarily bone-dry desert areas is looking bad. Reaching the inlaws by phone is impossible. Torrential deluges being insufficient, the city of Ohai, 50 miles inland from the port of Santa Barbara, suffered a 5.1 quake around 2PM-no deaths reported....:ping::ping::ping:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby (Post 2881513)

At least the smoke is keeping the locusts from invading. :yeah:

All that rain all of a sudden will result in a lot of mud/landslides.

When I lived in CA we were more concerned with mudslides than earthquakes.

as the principal Santa Cruz Mtn R.E. appraiser...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus (Post 2881648)

When I lived in CA we were more concerned with mudslides than earthquakes.

Nah! FEMA, having requested my appraisal files for the massive 1979 7.2 Loma Prieta quake and the Santa Cruz/Love Creek massive slide(bodies never recovered) disasters;(for the house fotos); massive Napa fires(within 8,000 ft.) and two quakes since here in Napa: 2000's 5.2(epicentered 500 yards away destroying my chimney & chinaware!:wah:) & 2014's 4.1, seriously wrecking downtown bldgs. but sparing me!...:yeah: all of which compelled me to keep up the license-req'd E&O insurance on my files 5 years beyond my 13 year's career retirement date in case of lawsuits...it's fires 1st; quakes 2nd; and mudslides 3rd;...no IMHO 'bout it!:o