Too much building in dangerous terrain. Many, many year ago we lived near Saugus, CA. A 30 yard zone around structures was enforced by the local fire department. Also large network of fire breaks were cut and maintained in the hills. We stored 2,000 gallons of water in a gravity fed system as part of our well water.
When the Spanish arrived, the LA basin was already known to the natives as “the smokey place”. Fire has been a natural feature of much of California for a long time. The Europeans have been mismanaging that for a long time. There is a reason houses in Malibu canyon keep burning, stupidity. But, climate change isn’t helping any.
Californian’s were warned by the wisest of them all.. and did they listen.. NO. They had plenty of time to rake those forests and clean them up so tough beans now.
True dat!! I recall living in So Cal back in the early 70’s on the western foot hills south of Riverside. One day I walked out of our back door and looked across the valley to see the hills gloriously aflame. I turned around and walked though the house and out the front door to see the hills on THAT side also burning. Of course to be fair I would also point out that by the time my dad retired and we moved back to the Midwest, the smog had also moved down and it was a rare day to see across the valley.
It’s clear that conditions are getting worse throughout the state. Five of California’s 20 deadliest wildfires have occurred during the last two years. And 10 of the 20 most destructive wildfires, in terms of structures lost, occurred over the last 10 years.
And it’s also woefully apparent that the state’s infrastructure cannot handle this new normal. The power outages left many regions without cellular service, emergency information, traffic lights or the other essentials of a modern, functioning community. Roads clogged as people tried to evacuate. And the fires have proved again and again that even homes and commercial areas in suburban-style neighborhoods seemingly far from forests or chaparral can be torched by embers carried for miles by hurricane-force winds.
California has to retrofit itself to make communities more resistant to wildfires. That will mean, for example, making sure buildings are fire resistant and burying power lines in high-fire-risk areas when feasible and developing microgrids that can provide backup power. It will be extraordinarily expensive and politically fraught, but it’s essential to protect lives and control the chaos created by the growing fire threat.
But the wildfires are just the beginning of what Californians can expect. We know what’s coming as the effects of climate change became more pronounced. The state will have to contend with more floods, coastal erosion and deadly heat waves. Intense weather will overwhelm existing public and private infrastructure unless we adapt now and build more resilient communities.
California has been a leader in trying to slow climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. That is still essential work because there’s still time to avoid some of the worst effects of global warming.
HAZMAT Class 3 Flammable liquidsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from HAZMAT Class 3 Flammable Liquids)
A flammable liquid is a liquid with flash point of not more than 60.5 °C (141 °F), or any material in a liquid phase with a flash point at or above 37.8 °C (100 °f) that is intentionally heated and offered for transportation or transported at or above its flash point in a bulk packaging.
Lived in Riverside CA, back in the early ’70’s. Even then the state was burning down every spring into fall(and sometimes longer). Which isn’t surprising if you recall that that part of the state use to be largely desert.
Zykoic over 4 years ago
Watch the insurance companies weasel out next.
Too much building in dangerous terrain. Many, many year ago we lived near Saugus, CA. A 30 yard zone around structures was enforced by the local fire department. Also large network of fire breaks were cut and maintained in the hills. We stored 2,000 gallons of water in a gravity fed system as part of our well water.
Dtroutma over 4 years ago
When the Spanish arrived, the LA basin was already known to the natives as “the smokey place”. Fire has been a natural feature of much of California for a long time. The Europeans have been mismanaging that for a long time. There is a reason houses in Malibu canyon keep burning, stupidity. But, climate change isn’t helping any.
Alberta Oil Premium Member over 4 years ago
Californian’s were warned by the wisest of them all.. and did they listen.. NO. They had plenty of time to rake those forests and clean them up so tough beans now.
GradingGorrell over 4 years ago
Scribbling over a photo of the Californian flag to illustrate something EVERYONE is already well aware of!
Is your audience so uninformed that they don’t know that there are currently wildfires in California?
There is no opinion/editorial here, only “California is on fire”
Maybe if you put CLIMATE CHANGE under Flammable, but no you still refuse to admit climate change is already happening.
Radish the wordsmith over 4 years ago
Our Putin loving east coast elite NYC president hasn’t said a word about California.
Plods with ...™ over 4 years ago
Might as well keep this one in an open file. Gonna be using it a lot.
mauser7 over 4 years ago
True dat!! I recall living in So Cal back in the early 70’s on the western foot hills south of Riverside. One day I walked out of our back door and looked across the valley to see the hills gloriously aflame. I turned around and walked though the house and out the front door to see the hills on THAT side also burning. Of course to be fair I would also point out that by the time my dad retired and we moved back to the Midwest, the smog had also moved down and it was a rare day to see across the valley.
Radish the wordsmith over 4 years ago
It’s clear that conditions are getting worse throughout the state. Five of California’s 20 deadliest wildfires have occurred during the last two years. And 10 of the 20 most destructive wildfires, in terms of structures lost, occurred over the last 10 years.
And it’s also woefully apparent that the state’s infrastructure cannot handle this new normal. The power outages left many regions without cellular service, emergency information, traffic lights or the other essentials of a modern, functioning community. Roads clogged as people tried to evacuate. And the fires have proved again and again that even homes and commercial areas in suburban-style neighborhoods seemingly far from forests or chaparral can be torched by embers carried for miles by hurricane-force winds.
California has to retrofit itself to make communities more resistant to wildfires. That will mean, for example, making sure buildings are fire resistant and burying power lines in high-fire-risk areas when feasible and developing microgrids that can provide backup power. It will be extraordinarily expensive and politically fraught, but it’s essential to protect lives and control the chaos created by the growing fire threat.
But the wildfires are just the beginning of what Californians can expect. We know what’s coming as the effects of climate change became more pronounced. The state will have to contend with more floods, coastal erosion and deadly heat waves. Intense weather will overwhelm existing public and private infrastructure unless we adapt now and build more resilient communities.
California has been a leader in trying to slow climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. That is still essential work because there’s still time to avoid some of the worst effects of global warming.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-10-28/california-fires-climate-change?fbclid=IwAR1b2UzYy_PXVkQ4j68qHtDhnGfXrqz6GfkbEst0FM5iGs5xlG8W5neroC8
DrPawl over 4 years ago
Provide for tax credits to encourage homeowners to install battery backup systems like this one:
https://www.tesla.com/powerwall
Pay for it with a carbon tax.
pamela welch Premium Member over 4 years ago
Those poor people :-(
Concretionist over 4 years ago
Interesting choice of hazmat sign:
HAZMAT Class 3 Flammable liquidsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from HAZMAT Class 3 Flammable Liquids)
A flammable liquid is a liquid with flash point of not more than 60.5 °C (141 °F), or any material in a liquid phase with a flash point at or above 37.8 °C (100 °f) that is intentionally heated and offered for transportation or transported at or above its flash point in a bulk packaging.
mauser7 over 4 years ago
Lived in Riverside CA, back in the early ’70’s. Even then the state was burning down every spring into fall(and sometimes longer). Which isn’t surprising if you recall that that part of the state use to be largely desert.