California fire/flood

Not sure how many members have been watching the Thomas fire and flood. It's bad. How 101 north of Ventura shut down due to mud and rock slides. My youngest son works as an equipment operator for Caltrans. 15 confirmed dead, at least 20 more missing. We had a group called the Los Padres Forest watch that used a Liberal judge to stop the Forest service from grading fire breaks. This allowed the the fire to travel a long distance. This was Environmental work run a mock. But then this is California where everything is Was Backwards of how it should be. If one of my loved ones perished or lost their homes I would hire a great attorney and sue that group, the judge and others. They claim Edison lost a transformer and combined with 60+ mph winds decimated us. But had the fire breaks been repaired the fire may not have spread so far. Say a prayer for all of these victim's.

prayers for the people suffering

If you mix in 60 mph winds , it is doubtful that a fire break a mile wide would stop a fire, but they would sure help in other scenarios.
I worked in Cali sometimes moving the mud that slid, down, they had an area for us to haul it and store it so it could dry out, we would haul the mud stored from the year before back and put it back on the slopes. I was amazed at some of the places folks built there houses, it was never a matter of if, but a matter of when.

We feel deeply for the pain and loss for those affected by the Fire and Flooding/Mudslides. We at the same time as Federal Taxpayers beset by ever expanding cries for "Emergency Bail Out" by the politicians are extremely angry at the state of California and Federal Government for creating the environment for these tragedies. First, I acknowledge that we will always experience Forest & Range fires; and that fighting a fire in winds exceeding 30 MPH is an almost impossible task; but.... Fighting these fires occurs years before the fire. Fuel reduction, continual maintenance for access to areas for "Brush Fire Crews" to put out small fires before they grow, and responding to small fires with the intent of putting them out - not the "Greenie" position of Fire is Natural, Let it Burn which is flawed because there are no Natural areas left (except maybe some parts of the moon and Mars where Mankind's presence has not yet reached).

California, other States, and the Federal government needs to restore the beneficial (and ecologically balanced) use of lands by grazing cattle. In the case of the dramatic hills going down into San Francisco, Las Angeles, and San Diego Metro plexus the use of sheep coupled with goats to reduce fire loads. You do not overgraze; rather run sufficient animals through an area annually (multiple times each year in some places) so that they dramatically reduce the fuel load - while keeping the hills covered with vegetation that reduces erosion and the potential for mudslides in the rainy season. We discovered hundreds of years ago how to do this; but we have allowed the INSANE to gain control of our Land Management organizations.

Grew up down there, hiked all over those hills and canyons with the Boy Scouts, helped dad build big buck homes in Montecito, sad to see such devastation.

Heard yesterday on the radio that it was two Edison transformers that blew within a few minutes and miles of each other. Hypothesis is that 70 and possibly 80+ mile per hour winds blew down power lines causing the transformers to blow.

We had the same story in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park a few years ago. A couple of juveniles set small vandalism fires that got out of control and ran over the mountains due to high winds. Then Gatlinburg had serious fires with the early belief that the GSMNP fires had crawled over that way. Later on it was determined that the very fast winds blew down power lines that caused G'burg to torch up. Lots of property loss and several lives, mostly blamed on a poor emergency notification system in the town.

My brother use to be a helicopter pilot fighting fire in California he said the exact same thing. If they would have taken care of the fire breaks there fire problem would be manageable.

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Originally Posted by starmac

If you mix in 60 mph winds , it is doubtful that a fire break a mile wide would stop a fire, but they would sure help in other scenarios.
I worked in Cali sometimes moving the mud that slid, down, they had an area for us to haul it and store it so it could dry out, we would haul the mud stored from the year before back and put it back on the slopes. I was amazed at some of the places folks built there houses, it was never a matter of if, but a matter of when.

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agree with you. sadly it cost people lives and money, yet they continue to do the same thing over and over and expect different results.

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Originally Posted by lefty o

yet they continue to do the same thing over and over and expect different results.

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typical leftist thinking

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Originally Posted by Smoke4320

typical leftist thinking

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"WRONG!"

They don't think....it's all about their emotional state...they run off emotions & touchy feelie feelings.
I thought years ago that these goofs would 'Darwin' themselves out of existence and that would be our saving grace..."tain't so!"

Like the NJ shore line as long as government (tax payers ) keeps paying to rebuild in areas not suitable , home owners/ builders will build and rebuild as long as you and me pay for it ! Evolution some times takes to long [smilie=b:

It is hard for us RELATIVELY few rural people to fight the inhabitants of three cities in California which are Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. City folks, as a whole (not every one) don't seem to have a clue about real life.

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I would also point out the problem with building homes in flood areas, like Houston most of Florida. Than there are the areas hit by tornados every year. People should not be allowed to build in certain areas of our country unless they are prepared to bear the full cost of replacement.

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Originally Posted by koehn,jim

I would also point out the problem with building homes in flood areas, like Houston most of Florida. Than there are the areas hit by tornados every year. People should not be allowed to build in certain areas of our country unless they are prepared to bear the full cost of replacement.

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yup, much like new orleans, build below sea level right next to the ocean and its not a matter of if, but when. should have never been rebuilt without filling it in first.

As far as I know, any area of Houston that had sunk to sea level has been condemned. I do know that areas over close to Beaumont that were flooded during Ike, could no be rebuilt unless the land was built up. Insurance paid for damage, but would not pay to build up the land, and the cost basically made some of it worthless.
Now the part of NoLa that is below sea level and depending on pumps daily, should never been built the first time, much less rebuilt.