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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Winds slow California fires |
| 2007-10-26 |
| Fires raging across California have caused more than $1bn in property damage and left five people dead, police have said. The death toll rose to five after the discovery of two burned bodies in a destroyed home in the town of Poway. Meanwhile, firefighters said on Wednesday that a break in the weather had given them a chance to go on the offensive. Around 1,700 buildings have been destroyed in the 18 fires that have erupted since Sunday. The fires have forced an estimated 500,000 people to flee their homes and scorched 172,000 hectares of countryside stretching from Malibu to beyond the Mexican border. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 the toll will be higher, no doubt. Defensible space with succulents (i.e.: cactus, xeriscape, or iceplant) is a big plus. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-10-26 17:45 |
| #3 We don't have canyons on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. We have 'flat, within reach of storm surge' and 'flat, subject to flooding from moderate rainstorms.' And it is not necessarily 'either/or.' But we don't have 5% humidity and 70 mph winds pushing walls of flame. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-10-26 17:43 |
| #2 You gotta be careful where you buy, Glenmore. If you buy a place on the edge of a canyon you could be toast. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque6305 2007-10-26 17:10 |
| #1 http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/26/fire.wildfire.ca/index.html The number of deaths attributed directly to the fires grew to seven Thursday, after the charred bodies of four people believed to be illegal immigrants were found in a canyon east of San Diego. Seven other deaths are labeled as fire-related: Three elderly people died during evacuations, and four others died after being evacuated. The arithmetic between these two stories doesn't seem to add up; makes me suspect the toll will be higher still. I think I prefer my hurricanes - one has a chance to swim or climb in the attic with them, but if a wildfire comes and you are still there???? Plus a hose, shovel and new sheetrock can make a flooded house livable - won't help a pile of ashes. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-10-26 07:51 |