Consequences/Concerns of LA Fires

[Stretch 74]

Those fires are an absolute tragedy, the videos coming out of the area are simply horrific. It is hard to imagine what those people have gone through already, having to flee the oncoming fire and then returning to find that everything you own is destroyed. Gone. Obliterated. Family heirlooms, treasured awards, letters, gifts, etc-EVERYTHING in your life is gone forever. It is simply heartbreaking to see and think about.

All of what I just said is the immediate impacts, but I am already starting to think about some of the long term implications of this catastrophic event. Haven't heard anything from any official on the following things yet, but these things are going to hit them soon:

1. Where in the world are they going to dispose of all the debris and waste from these fires, and how will they do it? The amount of material that needs to be removed is going to be a colossal amount, is there any existing "garbage disposal site" existing that can handle this amount? I doubt it. Will the city or state come in to areas with large crews and equipment to do it on a vast scale or will they wipe their hands of the task and leave it up to the individual property owners? How many of the individuals will not have the ability and resources to deal with that? Will they be prosecuted if they are unable to do so? Final mostly cynical question- will Newsome require all excavators, loaders, and dump trucks hauling debris be electric?

2. How long before the LA officials realize the tremendous drop in the tax base that will hit them? Huge areas will have individual properties drop 60-90% from existing values, thus tax revenues will face a severe decrease at the exact time that they need more revenues to recover from the disaster. Will the powers that be implement big tax rate increases on those people's properties that were not destroyed by the fires? Will it all just fall upwards to Uncle Sam?

3. How will rebuilding be accomplished? California being California, will they be sticklers for enforcing all kinds of big brother rules and regulations or will they take actions to help expedite individuals being able to rebuild quicker and less expensively? Sadly, I don't have much confidence in the People's Republic of CA relaxing any of their existing restrictions to help those affected individuals. I remain prepared to be surprised.

 

[roses04]

It's tragic to say the least, I feel for all those people who lost loved ones, and their homes. The Maui fires a few years ago were terrible, and Lahana is still a shell of it's former self today. These fires impacted far more people and far more homes. If you plan on building anything in the next few years you can expect prices and the cost to increase dramatically. The overall impact of the fires will last for years, and impact all of us.

I hope the States take a long look at their policies, and systems currently in place, increasing capacity of water supplies, and setting fire breaks, should be something all states out west take a close look at. We have had many large fires in this state, one recent example was the Carlton complex fire in North Central Washington burnt over 370 square miles, in a far less populated area. All Western states need to spend more time and money on forestry management and preparation, as another large fire will happened. it's only a matter of time. We need to look at what we can to do to not only prevent fires, but things that can be done now to mitigate the size of these fires once they start and having the manpower and equipment to react.


All the right wingers blaming DEI doesn't help, race, color or gender identity had nothing to do with it, the problem is there were many incompetent people in charge, poor decisions were made at all levels.

Here is an article from Newsweek that explains what could have been done to lessen the impact of the fires. I am all for protecting the environment, but sometimes those protections create much bigger problems. Some balance and common sense must be used.


What could have been done

 

[chugspig]

Will be interesting to see what comes of all this. Insurance companies cancelling policies in that area due to fire dangers months ago. That area houses some of the most wealthy and influential in LA. It will take years and years to get permits to rebuild, but will have celebrities backing the efforts with high powered lawyers going to war with the coastal commission and LA government. Investment companies will try to buy up land from devastated families. I would imagine lots of lawsuits vs. LAFD and Mayor etc. I know for a fact the owner of our company had a house there that was “average” for that area ~ 5 bed 8 bath and was in the 18-20m range. Insane $$ damage.

 

[Loyal Coug1]

It's tragic to say the least, I feel for all those people who lost loved ones, and their homes. The Maui fires a few years ago were terrible, and Lahana is still a shell of it's former self today. These fires impacted far more people and far more homes. If you plan on building anything in the next few years you can expect prices and the cost to increase dramatically. The overall impact of the fires will last for years, and impact all of us.

I hope the States take a long look at their policies, and systems currently in place, increasing capacity of water supplies, and setting fire breaks, should be something all states out west take a close look at. We have had many large fires in this state, one recent example was the Carlton complex fire in North Central Washington burnt over 370 square miles, in a far less populated area. All Western states need to spend more time and money on forestry management and preparation, as another large fire will happened. it's only a matter of time. We need to look at what we can to do to not only prevent fires, but things that can be done now to mitigate the size of these fires once they start and having the manpower and equipment to react.


All the right wingers blaming DEI doesn't help, race, color or gender identity had nothing to do with it, the problem is there were many incompetent people in charge, poor decisions were made at all levels.

Here is an article from Newsweek that explains what could have been done to lessen the impact of the fires. I am all for protecting the environment, but sometimes those protections create much bigger problems. Some balance and common sense must be used.


What could have been done

Well your Newsweek article kind of lost me at "California authorities allowed the perfect conditions — extremely dry, uncleared forests, hillsides and brush".

I can't seem to find a link that tells me where exactly these fires started and how they started. That is what I want to know. But I am going out on a limb when I surmise that these fires did not begin deep in "uncleared forests". Or did they? I dunno. And the spread (or beginning) into these "hillsides and brush". Is this Forest Service or State-owned land? If not, and since where I come from the property owner is supposed to mitigate fire danger, how are "California authorities" responsible? When I see rows of beachfront, shoe-horned in houses burnt to the ground, I'm kinda thinking that controlling brush and raking miles-away forests may not have prevented them from burning. I give more credit to the dry conditions and the 100+ MPH winds. But again, the Newsweek article does say that California authorities allowed the......."extremely dry" conditions. Ok, how exactly should they have prevented that? Rain dances all summer and fall?

Personally, I hope that they can get control of the fires at some point before the entire city/county goes up. Then analyze how they started, what realistically could have been done to prevent/mitigate, IF ANYTHING, and go from there.

 

[roses04]

Well your Newsweek article kind of lost me at "California authorities allowed the perfect conditions — extremely dry, uncleared forests, hillsides and brush".

I can't seem to find a link that tells me where exactly these fires started and how they started. That is what I want to know. But I am going out on a limb when I surmise that these fires did not begin deep in "uncleared forests". Or did they? I dunno. And the spread (or beginning) into these "hillsides and brush". Is this Forest Service or State-owned land? If not, and since where I come from the property owner is supposed to mitigate fire danger, how are "California authorities" responsible? When I see rows of beachfront, shoe-horned in houses burnt to the ground, I'm kinda thinking that controlling brush and raking miles-away forests may not have prevented them from burning. I give more credit to the dry conditions and the 100+ MPH winds. But again, the Newsweek article does say that California authorities allowed the......."extremely dry" conditions. Ok, how exactly should they have prevented that? Rain dances all summer and fall?

Personally, I hope that they can get control of the fires at some point before the entire city/county goes up. Then analyze how they started, what realistically could have been done to prevent/mitigate, IF ANYTHING, and go from there.

How the fires began:
A homeless person was smoking meth, took a big hit off a pipe, coughed into the pipe, blew the ashes out of the bowl The wind took the burning ashes to a dry brush area, which ignited, and that's where it all began.

In reality we will probably never know the exact cause.

 

[95coug]

How the fires began:
A homeless person was smoking meth, took a big hit off a pipe, coughed into the pipe, blew the ashes out of the bowl The wind took the burning ashes to a dry brush area, which ignited, and that's where it all began.

In reality we will probably never know the exact cause.

Homeless illegal democrats did it. Using gas from Canada and matches from China. In fact, I heard that Biden gave them the matches and Harris gave them gas money.