Truly awesome,

in the real sense of the word.

900,000 Californians evacuated.
300,000 acres burned.

My thoughts go out to all the people affected by this terrible disaster.

Comments

[Caveat]

Arson is suspected, as usual.

My Dad lives in San Luis Obispo (about 80 miles north of Santa Barbara), he says they can smell smoke up there.

[chimera]

On the other hand, have you heard about the treatment the San Diego refugees are getting at the NFL stadium there? Live bands, gourmet buffets and masseuses -- as well as the National Guard and promises of Federal help. Not begrudging the victims; snarking at the PTBs.

[leslie]

Last night on the news, a woman who had been evacuated with her family said that, like many others, they had been afraid to move to the qualcom center because of the treatment the Katrina victims had experienced. She said they had first moved in with neighbors, then evacuated to another family member's home, then finally to the center. I cannot imagine how powerless they feel. And how their lives will never be the same. (Despite the good care they are receiving now.)

And if Bush has anything to do with this, they won't see a penny of assistance unless they pledge their allegiance to the fascist pig some call pResident.

[pansypoo]

will this be another katrina for georgie?

[steverino]

We're close to the fires, are still threatened with evacuation and know people who've lost homes. Many friends were evac'ed but have since been back to see their homes still standing.

Ah-nold is actually acting like a Governor which is to his credit. Most of the affected areas are heavily Republican but these fires don't care (duh, they're fires) how you vote. A migrant family from Ramona is living with relatives next door to me and they don't get to vote. We'll see how the assistance goes when this is over later this week, though, to be sure.

I heard that the Dolt-in-Chief will be coming out here Thursday which is a shame because of the security necessary when you're lower than Nixon. Arnold was just walking around talking to evacuated and injured people, making things happen and he actually knew the facts when he was asked a question by the press. No security to speak of. He may not be able to pronounce "California," but he's doing ok leading it today.

As for W, it's not that he's the President that makes him need the security, it's the fact that he's such an asshole.

[wa ching]

I'm originally from SF, and my heart goes out to the people and the houses that got (or are getting) burnt.
W's out there for a photo-op (he's a caring guy...)

Only thing I got to say though, is what I got from an American Indian, Dianna Ward, when I was in Seattle:
"There's a reason why the Indians didn't live in those areas." They catch fire, or they flood, and they landslide.
You got to play what you're dealt.
I know people livin' on the fault line.

[Ruthie]

Arson is suspected, as usual.

It has been the "Perfect Storm" of fires. I live in the San Diego area. On our way home from lunch Sunday afternoon, the air smelled like smoke and the sky was gray to the northeast. When we got home, I immediately called friends of ours who live in the Ramona area--about 40 miles away, and asked if the fire was anywhere near their house. They had escaped the ravages of the Cedar fire in 2003 by a mere 100 feet. G. answered his cellphone, and said he was watching the smoke from the ridge near their place. The fire appeared to be about five miles away at that time. This was the nexus of what would become the Witch Creek fire. I told him to pack up the truck and bring their horsies with them. They could park them in the canyon and stay with us. (Damn HOA is always bellyaching about how much it costs to have a crew cut the grass in the canyon, anyhow, so it isn't a fire hazzard. This would solve two problems.) But his wife D. was out of town and had driven the truck.

By 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Channel 10 said that the Witch Creek Fire had consumed 3000 acres. (Not too large as these conflagrations go.) Evacuation for the exurban Ramona area was voluntary. By 5:00 p.m. evacuation was mandatory, and the Witch Creek fire had allegedly consumed approximately 8000 acres. Although winds gusting over 50 mph had already whipped the fire to within yards of many residences. Late Sunday night or early Monday morning, the evacuation center set up at Poway High School was itself evacuated to Mira Mesa, and people who had horses and other livestock were encouraged to take their animals to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The Witch Creek fire, whipped by wind spread to Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Santa Fe, parts of Scripps Ranch, and the edge of Escondido. About 3:00 Tuesday morning-- just as I was putting the finishing touches on deciding which of my worldly possessions would be shoved into the 6 document boxes I could fit in the trunk of my car should I need to evacuate--they announced a voluntary evacuation of Del Mar, north of Torrey Pines State Park, and east of hwy. 5. This is about 5 miles from where I live.

Fortunately for those living near the coast, the wind shifted, and a stiffer breeze from the ocean retarded the westward push of the fire. People were permitted to move back to areas in Del Mar, Rancho Bernardo, and later in the day, to Chula Vista. Unfortunately, it also sent a fork of the fire toward Palomar Mt., which has a surfeit of dead brush due to a bark beetle infestation, and which hasn't seen fire in decades. By this afternoon, the Witch Creek fire had burned over 237,000 acres. The Harris Ranch fire to the south, near Jamul/Tacate/hwy. 94 had burned another 75,000 acres.

The official cause has been given as power lines snapped by the force of the Santa Ana winds.

[kate]

Wow reading your accounts is far more real than reading the AP newswire. Thanks for the updates.

[Ruthie]

Last night on the news, a woman who had been evacuated with her family said that, like many others, they had been afraid to move to the qualcom center because of the treatment the Katrina victims had experienced.

Unofficially, it's referred to by the inhabitants as "Club Qualcomm." It ain't the Superdome, baby! For one thing, it's above sea level, so at least the plumbing works. For another, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support from the community. There are bands, massage therapy, grief therapy and outreach, teachers volunteering to entertain small children.... One person drove in with a truckload of donated blankets for the thousands of people who would be spending the next few days on Army cots. When the call went out for food donations, they recieved more than they could handle, and had to specify canned goods and non-perishables only. At least one local restaurant is sponsoring an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet with the proceeds going to the victims. The volunteer ratio is almost 1 volunteer for every 2 evacuees. The food is pretty decent, considering the size of the crowd that must be fed. People at "The Q" have been remarkably well-behaved so far, considering the stress. By early Monday morning, there were promises of state and federal funds. Insurers sent representatives, and The Red Cross has a batallion of people trained to file claims as soon as owners find out the grim news that theirs was one of the homes destroyed.

Yes, Ahnold der Gubernator seems to have his act together. Approximately 1500 National Guardsmen have been diverted from protecting the borders and ordered to protect property and otherwise assist in the security issues related to such a disaster.

But there are also critics who feel that more could have been done if "they" had acted sooner. However, it was difficult for the pilots to maneuver helicopters in the high winds, and fixed wing aircraft could not be used to spread fire retardant until later on Monday, when the fire had become a raging inferno. At least one writer remarked in the Union-Tribune, (the local fishwrap most people take because the plastic bags that are just the right size for picking up dog poo,) that what people really needed was information they could use--road closures, accurate reports of the fire's progress, etc., rather than more PR shots of the Shwartzenegger/Mayor Sanders lovefest.

On the plus side--assuming something like this can have a positive note--it took less than 12 hours for the DoD to approve the deployment of military aircraft for water/retardant drops over the worst of the flames. Normally, it takes over 2 days, and is rejected because the military pilots and the Cal. Fire pilots don't use the same codes, and there is too much of a risk of collision. Apparently someone came up with the brilliant idea of allowing a Cal. Fire. employee to fly with the military pilots to insure that there were not problems. It's amazing how clear-headed this Administration can be when they realize that having to spend millions rebuilding homes may impact the size of the donations to the GOP of some of their biggest donors in Rancho Santa Fe.

I heard that the Dolt-in-Chief will be coming out here Thursday

You heard right! Chimpy is coming to town on Thursday. Ten to one, there's at least one shot of him hugging Mayor Sanders; and if we're lucky he'll pound a few nails without killing someone! Frankly, I think they should put it to a vote: Bearing in mind that a hefty percentage of the thousands of people evacuated to "The Q" are hardcore Republicans, how many of them do you think would rather see the police and deputies who could otherwise be protecting their properties or helping to evacuate people in danger, instead diverted to protecitng this sorry sack of sh*t?

[George Johnston]

Gropinator's party was responsible for Prop 13 which is why California can no longer afford year round forest fire fighting capability. Gropinator also supports the Iraq debacle which is why the National Guard wasn't available to help fight forest fires as they have in the past. Don't tell me what a good job Gropinator is doing. Victims getting care because Republicans and Bush got their act together? Hardly. The victims are predominantly white. Getting supplies to them has nothing to do with sea level. New Orleans was ethnic cleansing.

[leslie]

Ruthie~
Thank you for the amazing reports. I hope you are safe and that you are spared any more trauma. I heard the news this a.m. and I think they said the area near Pendleton(?)was being evacuated.

It's raining here at my daughter's (Boston). (And people are thinking of the World Series tonight.) Yet I hear people on the T talking - nearly non-stop, about the fires and the plight of those in CA.

Thoughts and good wishes to you, Ruthie, and the rest of those being hurt by these fires.

George Johnston ... Been thinkin the same thoughts, too.

[RglrLrkr]

I echo what leslie said; Ruthie, you oughtta be a reporter (assuming you're aren't one in real life)! Thank you for the information. Best wishes and good luck to you and your neighbors.

[Ruthie]

Ruthie~
Thank you for the amazing reports. I hope you are safe and that you are spared any more trauma. I heard the news this a.m. and I think they said the area near Pendleton(?)was being evacuated.

Thanks, all. I am safe; and compared to the more than 1200 families (so far) in various parts of San Diego who have lost everything they owned, I hardly consider myself traumatized. The worst part of packing for me was knowing that most of my trunk space had to be reserved for the active client files I'd brought home to work on, over the weekend. Stupid State Bar rules....

One of the reasons I put this info up is because we've received numerous frantic calls from relatives who have seen the news on TV and were wondering if The Spouse and I were okay. The cell phone towers have been overwhelmed by the traffic, and people have been asked to keep cell phone use to a minimum. (So if you are calling loved ones, call their land line from your land line if possible.)

When FAUX or other stations show that dramatic footage of flaming roofs caving in, propane tanks exploding, or ornamental palm trees bursting into flaming torches, one after another, you have to remember that it's a "goody reel" of satellite feeds from various stations, showing a montage of footage from different areas, that's been assembled into the worst reality TV show you can imagine.

I don't mean to downplay the severity of the situation. This will no doubt go down in history as one of the worst fires--if not THE worst fire--in Southern California history. Fire crews do not expect to have the blaze contained until early November. The wind is still gale force in many of the inland areas near the fire, and very unpredictable. Water pressure is low in many areas because the pipes have melted or pumping stations have burned. Power is out in large sections of the unincorporated areas, and may take weeks to restore, as substations have been destroyed. The damage to homes and other property will no doubt be estimated in billions of dollars by the end of the week.

They began evacuating Pendleton late last evening as a precaution. Last time I checked, the fire had penetrated part of Pendleton's preserve, but had not reached any areas where there were living quarters.

Also last evening, a third fire (I think it's the Rice fire?) had burned a swath through the Lake Arrowhead region.

Generally, people living south of hwy. 56 and west of hwy. 5 are safe. For more info on specific areas:

www.cbs8.com/
www.10news.com/
www.211SanDiego.org/

Don't tell me what a good job Gropinator is doing. Victims getting care because Republicans and Bush got their act together? Hardly. The victims are predominantly white.

The operative word in my comment about Ahnold was "seems." And you have to admit that when you're knee deep in someone else's sh*t in the middle of a football stadium, it makes it difficult to maintain that festive "pajama party" atmosphere. One of the reasons that things haven't gotten ugly here in CA is that the lists of homes that are known to be total losses haven't been widely disseminated. People still have the luxury of clinging to the hope that the fickle nature of this fire has spared their home.

Still, human nature seems to be taking a turn toward the inevitable, even as I blog. Two persons--not victims-- have been arrested at "The Q" for attempting to steal bottled water and other supplies that were to be handed out to evacuees. People have called local TV stations to report telephone solicitations from fake charities, and contractors offering "deals." Check all potential contractors with the Contractor's State Licensing Board on the Cal. Govt. website: www.cslb.ca.gov/ It is illegal for hotels to raise their prices to take advantage of disaster victims. And you should not have to pay an insurance adjuster to file your claim.

As for the race issue, it's difficult to generalize that the victims in this fire were predominately white. Many people live in the unincorporated areas because it's the only place near San Diego they can afford to buy a home. A disporportionate percentage of the people in these areas are Native Americans or Latino. Minorities in general tend to get screwed over by incompetent government officials during disasters. The middle-class tends to get screwed over by insurance companies.

More about that later....

[Ruthie]

OOPS! Forgot to turn off boldface.

[kate]

Thanks Ruthie, excellent updates and I agree with George Johnston, looking of course, from my perspective out here, but its hard to not get a little pissed when reading of the outpouring of volunteers and assistance knowing what transpired in N.O. And of course, knowing the Republican culture that controlled most of what occurred post katrina.

[Caveat]

Great information, Ruthie! Thanks and good luck out there.