The California Fires..........

[Gardenarian]

The fires are horrific; here in Southern Oregon we're getting quite a few refugees.

I think the U.S. could easily absorb more immigrants and refugees.

In my town the problem is that the houses are mostly post-war, built for larger families. Population is actually decreasing (in my city) but their aren't many of the small apartments that people need. Zoning was just altered to allow people to build rental cottages on their property, but that will take time.

[Teacher Terry]

Some people have come here to get away from the smoke. The casinos are giving them a discounted price. We are growing and lack affordable housing. We have a shortage of houses and apartments. They are building now but it will take time to get caught up.

[CathyA]

I'm getting concerned about all the lung disease that will come out of this. Have you seen pics of San Francisco? Supposedly, the whole area has the worst air quality in the world because of the fires.

[Teacher Terry]

Usually the smoke heads our way but thankfully not this time. I have asthma so when we have bad air I have to stay home.

[dado potato]

As of this morning, 11,700 homes destroyed, 77 dead, and 991 missing.

(update of the 11/14/2018 numbers posted above in this thread).

sfgate published some stunning photos. http://www.sfgate.com/california-wil...#photo16503022

[jp1]

I'm getting concerned about all the lung disease that will come out of this. Have you seen pics of San Francisco? Supposedly, the whole area has the worst air quality in the world because of the fires.

The view from my office friday.

Old saying: You can't fight city hall.

New saying: You can't see city hall. (it's about 6 blocks away, between the two tall buildings.)

Sorry the pic is sideways. The forum software has a feature that always thinks I'm taking pictures in landscape mode.

city hall.jpg

[CathyA]

Here ya go jp1.

city hall.jpg

[sweetana3]

There are two groups going thru Paradise and the other localities and filming their whole drive to help people identify whether their properties might be standing. they posted on Youtube. Really a beneficial service for those who are displaced. Very sad to see the wholesale destruction and the strange incidents of one property standing while the whole area around them is burned to ash. Paradise Academy had fire come right up to the building and burn some stuff in the basement under the gym but the whole building was still there. The church next door and the buildings on the other side were burned to the ground.

One big antique shop was standing in downtown Paradise and all around it and across the street were gone. I remember walking those sidewalks.

Note: very very sad to see the forensic people out working over an area. They are easy to identify with their white coveralls and hoods.

[CathyA]

I've seen pics of total destruction......yet trees still have their leaves/needles on them. How does that happen?

jp1.......It seems like there will be smoke damage everywhere, in most people's homes who have air circulating in them, and business, etc. And what about the trees with leaves on them? They will probably "suffocate"? How long has it looked this way for you there?

The whole thing is so hard to even wrap my head around. Will people even have any worth to their property now? I mean just their lots.
And who would want to rebuild when the weather might always be this way now?
Just unbelievable.

[jp1]

It was only crazy bad here the one day. The pollution level was 385 friday. Right now it’s 170. Hopefully the forecast rain this week does happen. (Although not so much as to cause mud slides on land with no more vegetation...)

I can’t speak of Paradise, i assume some people will come back and others won’t, just like New Orleans after Katrina. But we were in Healdsburg, near Santa Rosa a few weeks ago. The listings hanging in the window of a real estate agency had several vacant lots listed, noting the amount of prep that would need to be done prior to building (after last year’s napa/sonoma fires). I expect that within a couple of years there will be no obvious signs that great big chunks of suburban santa rosa were totally destroyed.

It IS possible to build much more fire resistant than we gnenerally do currently. Whether CA building codes will be changed to address wildfire the way they have for earthquakes is anyone’s guess.