Seems like these are becoming more and more common but regardless….these things are providing some scary scary life altering videos.
Lakers game canceled….Rams playoff game in limbo
My buddy’s daughter is stuck in traffic now trying to flee her home near LA and head to Phoenix area for safety.
Climate issues? Forests needing cleaned up? Arsonists? What’s the deal?
My daughter and I were out there in March visiting a friend. I took this picture of her (I edited her out) on the Santa Monica Pier with the Palisades/Malibu coastline in the background. My friend said everything behind her is either on fire or in danger of it
Government ineptitude.
Tragic as shit for the Palisades neighborhood. And a lot of people in wildfire prone areas have lost their insurance coverage. Terrible.
People need to think of California in the same way they think of their body or their car - preventative maintenance needs to happen. Unfortunately California can't let itself think it that manner. Between symbolic ideology and the inability to manage, these types of raging fires are going to not only occur but increase. It's a desperate situation and I feel very bad for the people who are losing everything. I can't imagine!
Dry hydrants, fear of losing rare plants, the refusal of proper controlled burns along with the refusal to irrigate water to certain areas and insurance companies fleeing the state.
I don't know what California will do once these fires die out. I truly hope that they will be more willing to step out of their boxed in brains and try something different again. They've got an army of foresters who aren't allowed to do half of their jobs.
I hope no more people die!
I was in California about 10 years ago during a big fire. We went to check out a beach probably 80 miles from the fires and the ash was like snow except it burnt your eyes and basically required you to wear glasses. We drove then from LA to Vegas. O. The drive there was small fires within 10-15 feet of the highway that no one ever batted an eye at.
posted by friendfromlowry
My daughter and I were out there in March visiting a friend. I took this picture of her (I edited her out) on the Santa Monica Pier with the Palisades/Malibu coastline in the background. My friend said everything behind her is either on fire or in danger of it
She looks just like you
posted by sportchamppsI was in California about 10 years ago during a big fire. We went to check out a beach probably 80 miles from the fires and the ash was like snow except it burnt your eyes and basically required you to wear glasses. We drove then from LA to Vegas. O. The drive there was small fires within 10-15 feet of the highway that no one ever batted an eye at.
No thanks on that
I think there are more people living in areas that aren’t meant to have that level of development. Mother Nature makes it very clear to not live:
- on a flood plain
-on a hurricane prone beach
-next to a volcano
- in the middle of a desert
-in an area that replenishes itself with wildfires
Etc.
I know my home (Cleveland) ain’t sexy. But there’s ample water and no major disaster risk nearby. These “boom” cities in the sunbelt make no sense as they are not sustainable.
posted by Dr Winston O'BoogieI think there are more people living in areas that aren’t meant to have that level of development. Mother Nature makes it very clear to not live:
- on a flood plain
-on a hurricane prone beach
-next to a volcano
- in the middle of a desert
-in an area that replenishes itself with wildfires
Etc.
I know my home (Cleveland) ain’t sexy. But there’s ample water and no major disaster risk nearby. These “boom” cities in the sunbelt make no sense as they are not sustainable.
I don’t know how people in Florida do it, hoping their homes dodge several hurricanes a year.
I guess it being 70 degrees in January helps.
posted by friendfromlowryI don’t know how people in Florida do it, hoping their homes dodge several hurricanes a year.
I guess it being 70 degrees in January helps.
Phoenix as well.
I was reading something a year or two ago that there was a neighborhood built in the greater Phoenix area that was built on land that doesn't sit in any jurisdiction. It required them to actually truck in drinking water because there was no water source available in the areas where the homes were built.
Very much a first world problem.
posted by friendfromlowryI don’t know how people in Florida do it, hoping their homes dodge several hurricanes a year.
I guess it being 70 degrees in January helps.
It really depends on where you live in Florida. I live in Nassau County and there hasn't been a direct hurricane hit here since 1969. We may get outer bands or get the eye after it has traveled through the state, but that has never been a problem. Also, it was 34 today in January, so we are all dying.
posted by friendfromlowryI don’t know how people in Florida do it, hoping their homes dodge several hurricanes a year.
I guess it being 70 degrees in January helps.
posted by MontyBrunswickPhoenix as well.
I was reading something a year or two ago that there was a neighborhood built in the greater Phoenix area that was built on land that doesn't sit in any jurisdiction. It required them to actually truck in drinking water because there was no water source available in the areas where the homes were built.
Very much a first world problem.
Isn’t that the universe’s way of saying “don’t fucking live here -you’re not designed for it”?
posted by Dr Winston O'BoogieIsn’t that the universe’s way of saying “don’t fucking live here -you’re not designed for it”?
Man J.J. Redick with some powerful stuff talking about the fires
Man J.J. Redick with some powerful stuff talking about the fires
Sounds like, at least some of these, were arson. A group of people made a citizens arrest on a guy with some kind of propane tank/flamethrower in Calabasas trying to light objects on fire. There wasn't enough evidence (?????) so the guy was released?
posted by BR1986FBSounds like, at least some of these, were arson. A group of people made a citizens arrest on a guy with some kind of propane tank/flamethrower in Calabasas trying to light objects on fire. There wasn't enough evidence (?????) so the guy was released?
California with the greatest population and greatest # of whackos
posted by Dr Winston O'BoogieI think there are more people living in areas that aren’t meant to have that level of development. Mother Nature makes it very clear to not live:
- on a flood plain
-on a hurricane prone beach
-next to a volcano
- in the middle of a desert
-in an area that replenishes itself with wildfires.
Yeah. It's time to start thinking about real solutions instead of wasting money trying to prevent climate change that actually isn't causing this. Insurance is pulling out of these areas because the rates they need to charge to cover losses would be prohibitive. That means taxpayers in Ohio and other areas not usually hit by disasters are left to foot the bill. And I'm sure in some of these areas, like tornado alley, it's all the people can afford (same issue with people that lost their homes in Hawaii to a volcano eruption 4-5 years ago).
The other interesting thing is from 1988-1997, 88% of fires were caused by people (which includes things like power lines). Yet lightning caused fires burned 52% of the land despite being 12% of the cause.
Wildfires out west have actually been declining, but acreage has increased dramatically. Inadequate management and fewer fires is mainly why it's burning so much more, combined with about 2-decades of mostly drought. A few years of healthy rain and snow only fuels growth that later dries out to become fuel.
Globally, wildfires are decreasing AND acreage burned has been trending down over the last two decades. There may not be a trend either way, and the decline can be attributed to agriculture and other factors. But point being climate change is not causing an increase in frequency or severity (same with hurricanes, and I believe flood events).
It really irks to see the same people that routinely push climate change disinformation accusing people of being anti-science and spreading lies. Media today doesn't deal in information, they deal in narratives. And they attack people who dispute or disagree with the narrative.
As for insurance, I don't know what the solution is but we have to figure it out. If you're going to live on the coast and get whacked by a hurricane, or in the desert and have your home destroyed by wildfire...the question is how do you socialize the losses and should those losses even be socialized beyond the areas affected?
Won't be popular with the environmentalists, but maybe one solution is to have a burn barrier around communities. I think 1/2 mile wide probably would keep the fire from jumping across even in very strong winds. If you choose to live outside those safe zones, then you have to fully accept the risk and cost of loss.
You can add this to the issue of healthcare insurance, too. Bottom line is most people don't want to pay what it actually costs. Maybe it's time to severely restrict FEMA funds to truly unnatural/freak events. The old "1 in 500 year" event sounds rare, but given the size of the US there's going to be a handful of such events every year.
Going to be interesting to see the fall out. Some in CA are going to blame the Dem govt for mismanagement. Others will blame the Dem govt for not doing enough to stop climate change.
Insurance companies pulled out because the government capped what their increases could be, and their only option to not go bankrupt is to not renew coverage in places where also the government didn’t do enough to mitigate wildfires. I’m sure the people would have paid the increase if they could have. I pay a bunch in insurance living in coastal SC, it is what it is.
They also have too much focus on their bullshit environmental regulations which have caused them to yet figure out how to actually retain the water in the rainy seasons instead of it washing back into the ocean. There was a giant reservoir that was empty by the palisades bc the tarp was ripped and it had been under maintenance since February 2024… it’s government ineptitude on top of government ineptitude, all the way up to Newsome. Even IF climate change was the reasons fires started (which it isn’t), that doesn’t change the fact that they have done nothing to prevent the spread.
The LA focus/obsession on DEI in the fire dept, the water company, and the mayor’s office (she needs fired yesterday), looks really dumb when this shit happens. Maybe button up everything first before crying about “equity” and “social justice”.
It’s heartbreaking to see how fucked so many people are there right now. And you have Newsome going on a political podcast to divert blame, and that podcast is then trying to raise money for the victims using the political fundraising ActBlue instead of legit organizations.
posted by iclfan2Insurance companies pulled out because the government capped what their increases could be, and their only option to not go bankrupt is to not renew coverage in places where also the government didn’t do enough to mitigate wildfires. I’m sure the people would have paid the increase if they could have. I pay a bunch in insurance living in coastal SC, it is what it is.
They also have too much focus on their bullshit environmental regulations which have caused them to yet figure out how to actually retain the water in the rainy seasons instead of it washing back into the ocean. There was a giant reservoir that was empty by the palisades bc the tarp was ripped and it had been under maintenance since February 2024… it’s government ineptitude on top of government ineptitude, all the way up to Newsome. Even IF climate change was the reasons fires started (which it isn’t), that doesn’t change the fact that they have done nothing to prevent the spread.
The LA focus/obsession on DEI in the fire dept, the water company, and the mayor’s office (she needs fired yesterday), looks really dumb when this shit happens. Maybe button up everything first before crying about “equity” and “social justice”.
It’s heartbreaking to see how fucked so many people are there right now. And you have Newsome going on a political podcast to divert blame, and that podcast is then trying to raise money for the victims using the political fundraising ActBlue instead of legit organizations.
I think Newsome's aspirations for a '28 presidential run are in very serious trouble. Pod Save America is working overtime trying to reshape his record so his management abilities get memory-holed.
So many people in these areas don't have fire insurance, which was recently taken away. They probably won't be able to afford to live in California anymore. I don't know where they will end up, but that's a lot of taxes to lose, even for California.
I saw a clip of one of the higher ups in the fire dept. (I think she's in charge of the DEI) basically saying that people care about how the people saving them look. She also said something to the effect if she had to rescue/carry a man that they got themselves into the wrong place. Keep in mind that she didn't say this in a hot mic moment - she said it in a promotional video.
At the end of the day, California is just not a rational place anymore. It's the ideology of symbolism that runs their world and I don't think they are ready to change their minds about it.
Edit to add:
Jump to 8:30 for Kristine Larson, bureau of equity chief
https://youtu.be/1eVqgmmjKxg?si=P4mXJjFsH0wKxSRQ
https://x.com/edkrassen/status/1878083935072129105?s=46&t=xrxfs6mLIefacKYITrkV2A
https://x.com/acnewsitics/status/1878396679813988652?s=46&t=xrxfs6mLIefacKYITrkV2A
My take is this was a true natural disaster. Had nothing to do with dei or water or lack of firefighters. This was all about several months with no rain, less than 10 percent humidity and 80 mph wind. You could have had 100 more fire trucks and it wouldn’t have mattered. They had all of their hydrants going for 15-18 hours. It’s not designed for that especially at 2000 ft of elevation. Should they evaluate lots of things sure. But in this instance I don’t think it would have mattered. My two cents
Yeah, there will be plenty of finger pointing but the reality is shit happens.
The only thing that could mitigate and potentially prevent this is a buffer zone around residential areas that the fires can't jump. But the eco-nuts would allow no such thing.
And the other issue is decades of housing mismanagement have forced people to seek out more affordable options in areas that maybe aren't safe to build.
Hundreds of billions will be spent re-building in these areas where it's just a matter of time until it happens again. At some point we need to start re-thinking about the futility and wisdom of continually rebuilding in disaster zones.
It’s like those of you on here understand it better than the big wigs of California