Modern Vespa

I really hope the death toll doesn't raise anymore. How very tragic to hear over 40 have lost their lives. May they RIP.

I saw this photo today and thought I'd share it so people can see the scope of the smoke.

Amazingly, my little spot in the world has seen a few days of hazardous air quality but not nearly as much as other parts of the SF bay area which has seen hazardous air quality conditions for more than a week.. I worked in Silicon Valley and the air quality all day was 133-163 all day. Hazardous is >100. It's been that way for about a week now. Healthy levels are below 50. Some areas of the bay area are much worse. On the way home today, all horizon views are grey with almost no color and visibility was just a few miles. Where I live, a block from the ocean on the north tip of Monterey Bay, the air quality was ~70 today when I got home today. The air quality has been 120-180 the last few days. My guess is that JimC is seeing horrible air quality since he lives (I think) in the ~middle of the stream.

The photo shows the on-shore wind is pushing the smoke west. Usually, the wind comes from the west/northwest. Its eerie, we almost always have wind but there hasn't been any for a week or so. Despite the smoke, the weather's been unseasonably warm the last couple years and very unusual warm this year.

Best
Miguel

An average day in Indonesia where I currently am.

Just wondering if the fire and the thread are not a metaphor for life. Striving for paradise and then....

Maybe just look around and be happy with what you have?

We had some sun shining through today for the first time since it started - but still blurry. We haven't hung any washing out for a week or more because of the smoke and smell. We've been constantly aware of the plight of those caught up in it.

I wonder what humans in 100 years time will think of us.

Sadly, ABC Nightly News reported this evening the death toll is expected to rise to over 100. Apparently there are about 60 folks unaccounted for.

Jim, I just looked up the air quality index (AQI) for Pleasanton: 241!!
AQI: The higher the AQI, the more unhealthy the air is
0-50: Healthy
50-100: Moderate
100-150: Unhealthy
150-200: ??
200-300: Very Unhealthy
300-500: Hazardous

I don't know what to suggest to you but particulate masks (not the stupid ones with the elastics that go around your ears which are pretty useless), closed doors, AC, air purifiers, go somewhere out of the plume, ...

Best
Miguel

PS: I use weather underground to track AQI and the weather in general.

[quote="jimc"] That presupposes we'll be around as a species in 100 years.

[quote="EN82pg"] Good point.

FINALLY, some rain headed to paradise and the greater San Francisco Bay area next Wednesday/Thursday. This prediction from Weather Underground for Paradise.

Best Miguel

If nothing else it should knock some of the smoke out of the air.

Hope they get a ton of rain!

In an interesting contrast to the ongoing Camp Fire in CA and as has affected Paradise, I read an article last week about the prairie fire in mostly KS & OK last year that burned 3 million acres-about twice the size of Rhode Island, yet barely made the news, if at all. It killed people and livestock and burned towns.
Obviously population densities, vegetation, etc. are far different between the prairie and the ongoing CA fires locale but still yet, I'll ask how many heard a word about the "Starbuck Fire of 2017"?
Interesting story it was.

Hey MV family! A local morning radio show is starting a donation drive for victims and families of the fire. They mentioned on the radio today that they need gift cards as well as items listed on the link I'll post below. Also, a listener has donated warehouse space for the morning show to use for storage of donated items. For weeks, if not even months the people affected by this fire in Northern California will continue to need help. if you want to help donate, the information is on this link and or mail in gift cards to their PO Box.

https://radradio.com/featured-content/brine-a-palooza-wildfire-relief/

Thought of that too....though stopping the fires for now still outranks.... Be careful of what you wish for.....I'd read of concern over mudslides on denuded hillsides.

Ugh, just learned a friend did indeed lose his house to the Paradise fire. He's taking it surprisingly well, in part because he's such a good guy, but, I gotta believe, because he must be in shock.

The day of...

I can only imagine what your friend was thinking when he took this photo. What a shame.

I'll go with shock. Cannot imagine.....

Seven-page article on it in November 5, 2018 issue of The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/05/the-day-the-great-plains-burned

link edited to avoid Google redirection - jimc

I read somewhere yesterday there were still over 600 people missing from Paradise. However, speculation is they have just not reported in yet and are safe, temporarily living elsewhere. Let's hope so.

Last edited by Jet Peddler on Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

Excellent article.

Thanks! That's the article that opened my eyes and made the point I was chasing. If I wasn't such a puter nutcase I'd have given a link myself.

In my ignorance I have wondered if those "parking lot people" still hanging around Paradise, CA have a nearby job that is still available? It does get mention that many are still there with nowhere to go next but not much of the larger picture beyond the immediately obvious loss of home or life?

I'm trying hard to avoid a political message here but must say that when these calamities happen the media places huge focus on the government when the reality is that beyond the responders and utilities, and certain municipal & state services, e.g., like road crews, the government doesn't ever do a whole lot in reality.
In trying to place myself in the victims shoes, which is quite impossible in reality, I don't see myself caring if any politician came to console me, or not? But the media wears that aspect out IMO.
I hope I didn't step on any toes here as I was trying for a non-political point.


Insurance covers our losses not the government. And yes, I have worked in the middle of these types of events and fully experienced them. I also have been a party to certain NGO's and their "response" to these events. To say more will get me tossed.
My SIL (retired school administrator) worked as one of the temps that helps sign people up for federal tornado assistance in her area. She said, "I was surprised to learn that only those without insurance could apply", to which I said surprise, surprise.

RAIN!! FINALLY!!

This morning it is raining all over the bay area including Paradise and will do so for the next several days. Our first rain of the season. The rain has improved the air quality to the normal healthy range throughout the SF Bay Area. In Santa Cruz, the AQI is 30, in SF, it's 15. Normal/Healthy AQI is 0-50. It was above 200 in most of the bay area for the last 12 days from the fires. At one point we had the worst air in the world.

The rains have ended the 2018 fire season in the California's central coast.

Best
Miguel

Fantastic news!

Great news. Too bad the rain didn't come two weeks ago. It would have spared thousands of homes and maybe 100 lives.

It's lovely! First measurable precipitation for 222 days where I am apparently. As an ex-pat Brit I'd just call it showers, but here it's labelled as a 'storm'. Whatever, it's very, very welcome, and gentle enough that it'll soak in rather than run off.

Glade to hear it was gentle so as to limit any more problems from flooding.

That was only where I am (East Bay) - I suspect further north they've had harder rain, and more coming next week.

Great to hear that rain has finally arrived, and isn't hampering recovery efforts - so far... Like others, I'm worried about mudslides for a while, if there's enough/too much rain... Hoping for the best of a terrible situation out there...

But not a word on the evening news

Cousin in Mt had fire all around them last year for most of the summer it seemed like, not a damn peep about it on the TV.

Except for these sorts of things:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/deadly-wildfires-devastate-southern-plains/

Mrs. Gbaby's Aunt Mimi and Uncle Dan lost every single thing up in Paradise. Over 40 years in the same house. They were out of town so they couldn't even grab anything on the way out, but at least their lives were never threatened. But still...very heavy stuff.

Did you pass Geography in school?? That is the PLAINS, not Montana.

Google search 2017 Fire Montana.
One article on the first search page by a Network in Sept after the fire had been burning most of the summer and an article in the NYT, again in Sept.
I stand by my statement, no one covered that fire.

https://www.google.com/search?q=2017+Fire+Montana&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS791US792&oq=2017+Fire+Montana&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

You quoted my post in which we were discussing the Starbuck Fire and claimed it wasn't covered on TV. You went on to mention a fire in Montana, three-fifths of which lies upon the Great Plains.

Gents. Let's get back to taking about Vespas. You guys are taking past each other.

Best Miguel

Agreed. Thanks, Miguel.

I say, “well done”.
Many of us enjoy good beer and have our favorite local breweries, here’s to ‘giving back’. I for one will be partaking.....


https://www.facebook.com/102506761394/posts/10156024660091395/


https://www.sierranevada.com/camp-fire-relief-fund

With Hurricane Harvey there were groups of volunteers manning BBQ that had set up where boats were ferrying folks rescued from flooded neighborhoods. We saws local news feeds of Cajun Navy and other volunteers pulling up with boatloads of people and animals that had been stranded by flood waters. They were greeted by dry blankets and plates of hot bbq. That was the first time I'd seen folks set up with BBQ and I didn't know there was an organization behind it. Still not sure if there was since none was mentioned but folks working those hubs as well as those arriving sure seemed to appreciate it.

That was https://operationbbqrelief.org/ I know some of the guys that were there. You had at least 3 or 4 Grand Champions there cooking KICK ASS BBQ.
I know Smokin Okie and Fast Eddy Maurin were there. Both top terr BBQ champions.