You may have seen news about fires in Southern California near where Melanie and I live. This is just a note to say, well, they are not that near, forty to fifty miles away at least and while we have had a bit of smoke pollution, that has not been too serious so far.
There have been power outages nearby, but even that has been avoided locally. The area is mostly desert mountains and not inclined to burn, though there are forests within 10 to 20 miles. We'll try to keep everyone informed.
Hugs,
Erin
Comments
Hot in Cali
Glad you’re both ok. I was worried after seeing the news tonight so thanks for letting everyone know.
Hugs Sammi
Stay upwind and downhill!
Be safe, you two. And thanks for “checking in safe!”
Peace,
— Em
— Emma
Thanks for the info
Stay safe as best you can. These two fires are going to get a lot worse.
Gillian Cairns
Palisades
While where I am we just had a night of crazy wind keeping us and the kitties awake, so far so good. Power is out all over due to SCE shutting it off for anywhere near the hills...and in random other spots in the area too.
But the Pacific Palisades...is gone. A very good friend, who grew up there, recently retired - and therefore was able to move back into the house he'd held on to for many years while working elsewhere (renting out the house so he could eventually return to it), having finished a month ago its massive internal remodel, today just lost it all. My heart aches for him and his wife, but thankfully they got out safely yesterday afternoon.
Prepare In Case
Put camping supplies, water, food, blankets and your family heirlooms ready to go to the car if necessary.
I want to you be prepared and stay safe. Take the advice of one who has lived with fires and sixty to ninety mph winds. You don't need to leave your home but be prepared.
Hugs Erin, love you girl
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
=Never= ignore an order to evacuate.
Five already dead in California wildfires this morning. (Thursday.)
What BarbieLee said ... but pack car now.
Be ready to go on 'zero notice'. Include crates and supplies for any Companion animals (pets).
Winds can blow hot embers and start fires -ahead- of you.
More at https://www.ready.gov/
Losing power means you also lose notifications by radio, media, internet...
---
Why yes, I did work for FEMA.
family pictures
When my brother had to evacuate some years ago, the thing they worried about most was the irreplaceable family pictures she had gathered from everyone for doing genealogy. They were luckily not burned out but all of the originals went to a safe deposit box in town. Today, I think you could just scan anything important to the cloud. Or put the photo album in your bug out box.
Is Bank Safe From Fire
Looking at the remains of a bank on the net yesterday and wondered if anything survived in the safe deposit boxes? Home owners and commercial builders don't plan on the kind of fire LA is dealing with. Farmers and ranchers know they stand alone against a devastating fire. Sadly, sharing this information won't help those who lost everything. A small fireproof safe to keep documents and valuables is a necessity. A large fireproof save for the bigger items, one's not needed that often. Where we store our hardware and other things also thief proof as they can't carry it off. Heat and fire rises, if in a cellar or basement make sure it is also waterproof. Pictures of valuables survived the fire but not the water.
Insurance won't replace one's valuable possessions. One's life is the most valuable item. Stay Safe!
Hugs Greybeard
Barb
Life is a gift, don't waste it foolishly.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
I've read
Those fireproof safes they sell are not longterm safe. I think the idea is that in a ordinary housefire they will last long enough for the fire department to extinguish a normal fire. A long term fire, such as a wildfire, may exceed the protection rating of those small safes. Something to look into.
Something else to consider would be computer drives. They are not likely to survive, as far as I know. Backups might be a prudent precaution.
I always thought you lived in Northern California so this being in SoCal I thought you were safe. Guess I was wrong. So take everything seriously. Too many people have the attitude that it won't happen to them. It can happen to ANYBODY. Fire, earthquake, tornado, floods, etc. Shit happens, and it happens to nice people, so be prepared.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Excellent Advice
A quality safe is rated on how long it can withstand degrees of heat and fire. The inexpensive ones are a cheap metal box and no better than a filing cabinet. Advertising as fire resistant means nothing more than a used car salesman pitch.
Hugs Karen, good advice and thanks for giving a heads up.
Barb
Sometimes the learning curve can be wicked, the cost more than the soul may bear.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Glad to hear you're safe.
I have seen pictures of the inferno both on telly and in the paper, it's really awful. Paradise meets hell!
I hope you remain safe and secure.
Ang
Angharad