Is there a thread about the LA fires?

[Lelophants]

I can’t see one anywhere. Scary stuff.

I think they’re just evacuating Santa Monica west of 11th and north of Montana at the moment, the winds have died down a bit so the planes can fly with water again which is a relief. The Hollywood fire has been contained but my friends on the east side continue to have to evacuate as the Glendale fire is still out of control

I can’t even imagine what happens next for folks…insurance companies were trying to cancel everyone’s fire insurance 6 months ago, so lots of people aren’t insured. People evacuated during work/ school, so literally only have the clothes they were in, and no passports/ proper id… they’ll be no way to find a builder for the next 5 years… they’ll be no fire insurance ever again… everyone’s equity is tied up in a burned piece of land. The long term impact for families is so unimaginable.

DD1 had a job offer for Los Angeles almost two years ago. I'm so very relieved she didn't take it. Heartbreaking scenes on the news, my thoughts are with all affected.

Yes ,I was thinking thst , even if you have the money to rebuild it won't be that simple.

It’s horrific. We have family on MIL’s side in California and have been a few times.

These horrendous fires are becoming more and more regular. My heart goes out to everyone there. It’s terrifying.

This is beyond what has come
before though. It’s never hit urban areas in this way

I'm finding it all really weird. A friend from the UK moved out to San Fran and then Los Angeles about 25 years or so ago. I went to stay with him quite a few times and we went all over both cities. Not just the tourist places but also a lot of places that locals go to too.

Then just over ten years ago he moved to the mid west. He said everyone thought he was crazy and he found the culture shock huge moving to a red state, but he felt it was one of the best things he'd done.

He'd always dreamed of moving to California, but the reality wasn't so great. The work home life balance was dreadful - he was expected to do a lot more hours than we are used to in the UK. He was a work-alcoholic but it still took its toll. He liked San Francisco, but life in the city with traffic and crime wasn't so great and he couldn't afford much in terms of housing. So he moved to Los Angeles and bought a big house in the hills and loved it.

However every year the fires got closer and closer. And there was the ever present risk of an earthquake. There were often mini tremors - including some whilst I stayed there - he was used to them, but I think having people stay who weren't was a reminder that its not just 'normal'.

He had a daughter and I think that was the final straw.

Every time fire season starts, I think of him, and how he really wasn't stupid. He saw it coming long before others, who are still waking up the reality.

I do think these fires will push a lot more people to relocation and move east - the California Dream is being to crack.

Its funny how we in the UK think about California and the Big One as being the big threat which will bring chaos to Los Angeles. In reality I think fires possibly pose a bigger risk long term than earthquakes and there will be a slow migration from the city over a period of years.

There's quite a few places that we went together that have burnt to the ground. Its a surreal feeling. I can't imagine what its like for people who call the city home.

Let's be real, this is getting a lot more news coverage than a lot of disasters around the world because it is a celebrity enclave, but hopefully this is at least shedding light on the fact we are facing more and more natural disasters and the illusion of us being able to survive and bounce back is so fragile. If the ultra rich are impacted to this extent what hope do the rest of us have?!

The issue in the UK we are seeing more and more of is flooding. As we build more houses this is only going to get worse as drainage systems can't cope, we build more impermeable surfaces- we need trees and fields! People in the UK will also face high insurance premiums, loss of goods and uninsurable properties. Very scary times ahead, and not that far ahead either.

Agreed.
We have family who live in Greece and they were caught up in some of the horrific wildfires there.

And people have had terrible flooding in England this week alone

Yet still very few people seem prepared to acknowledge that climate change is going to be devastating if we don't change our behaviours

Regarding rebuilding, its going to be interesting.

There will be a massive shortage of builders in the next few years. As I say I think there will be a lot of relocation. A lot of tech companies and film facilities had already started moving to places like Texas and I think we will see a lot more of that. Its cheaper for starters.

The big issue is the insurance. Fire insurance will be near impossible to get or so extortionate that only the very richest will be able to afford it. That alone will drive businesses out of state.

But tbh, the reality of so many of your friends losing everything will hit hardest.

Plus don't forget the Olympics are coming, so thats also going to drive a few issues relating to rebuilding, costs and whats a priority.

I don't think this is purely being amplified because a lot of celebrities are being involved for this reason. Its a crucial issue and problem for the US as a whole.

And its unlike the Hurricane corridor in that its longer lasting, ever present and somewhat unprecidented as a disaster.

I ‘m shocked to see the fire going through urban areas. I assumed wild fires would only affect houses surrounded by trees, bushes, dry grass etc. How is it moving through urban areas, are the houses made of wood or something?

I don’t think it ever got this bad,
is any help coming from other states?

Celebrities have other places to live if they've the appetite to rebuild in a scorched earth area. The scenic views have gone, the beautiful gardens.

The ordinary people who have nowhere else to go for financial reasons may scatter and never return. Many have lived there all their lives. Raised children who also live there.

So many lives smashed.

I remember the fires in Hawaii last year. That too was awful.

Biden was there yesterday. Trump will visit next. Unfortunately there's a vacuum until 21st. So there may be a delay.

Fuck I hadn’t even thought about the idea olympics

A friend lives in Palisades, luckily he’s on holiday and their having work done on their home so its fairly empty. Their house was destroyed yesterday, so when they land tomorrow they have no idea where they will actually go as of course everywhere is booked.

Does anyone understand much about how/why there happening and how they will finally end?

I wondered if it might change climate change deniers.

Nope, lots of people on social media thinking they were done on purpose. Democrats probably. 😳

Very interesting but sobering post, do you know which state he moved to?

It’s terrible, but nature will recover quickly and I assume most people will own the land their house was built on so are likely to stay even if that means living in some kind of temporary structure for a time.

It's beyond awful. I keep opening the news app hoping the headlines are going to change and they announce they've started to get things under control.

I think fire is one of a lot of people's worst nightmares. It's so, so destructive. So many people are going to be going back to literally nothing but scorched earth.

What we don't yet know the cause (yesterday BBC news was saying it started in a residential garden... but that was removed at some point during the day) but we do know climate change is why we have this level of devastation. The lack of rain, the winds, etc.

I hope there are learnings taken from this to prevent it from being able to wipe out thousands of buildings ever again. And I really hope there are no further deaths or serious injuries and that everyone gets the support and money they are going to need to rebuild.

Is there talk of banning building in such areas? Or imposing firebreaks? It wasn't that long ago that similar fires were out of control but has there been any preventative measures imposed since then?

Despite the season, Los Angeles has experienced little rainfall and above normal temperatures, leaving vegetation dry and highly flammable.
Seasonal winds are also particularly intense this year, with gusts nearing 100 mph. They dry out vegetation further and can carry embers over long distances, igniting new fires and causing existing ones to spread rapidly.
And of course long term climate trends have led to hotter, drier conditions, extending the traditional wildfire season and increasing the likelihood of wildfires occurring year round. Such scary stuff, no idea how it will end but it’s unlikely anytime soon 😔

They're not keen on clearing/ firebreaks. Apparently embers can travel a long way in the air. They cancelled the building of dams because they had to be built in areas where they weren't wanted by the landowners.

They now have the opportunity to completely rethink this area awful as the reasons are. They don't get a lot of rain but they should adopt the Bermudian roof collecting system.

Airbnb are providing free housing for a week