California Wildfires

[lovinthehd]

PG&E was doing the pre-emptive shutdowns in norcal, the primary service provider in norcal (and also on edge financially due lawsuits from the previous fires started seemingly from PG&E equipment in recent times). PG&E has had issues in providing both shareholder value (and bonuses for executives) as well as providing good safe service to their customers. I was close by the San Bruno blast, another fun PG&E event.

Altho I saw in the news that the winds were moving south and Socal Edison (largest utility in socal) have also done some shut downs due the typical high winds/dry conditions this time of year as well (the Santa Ana winds). The forecast winds largely didn't show up in norcal, tho.

Underground wiring/facilities would largely avoid this but everyone likes to go cheap until its an issue (and exacerbated by drought/climate change as well as land management).

Here in Oregon we've had a relatively nice summer and more rain to help out. It's usually mother nature that sets our human-managed forests on fire rather than the utilities, tho.

 

[panteragstk]

Lots of people leave California because they get tired of the cost of living, the low standard of living, the traffic, and lately the failing progressive politics. I'm one of them.

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-10-states-people-are-moving-out-of-us-2019-5

Between CA, NY, and IL that's about 450,000 people moving to other states. I can understand the NY and IL outflows too. I'm afraid you folks in Texas could find yourselves in a situation like Oregon, where the big population centers lean left from the new-comers, while the less populated areas stay more to the right. Oregon is a mess for that reason.

Yep. Here in TX we're getting closer and closer to a swing state. I think 2020 will still be red, but we'll see.

 

[davidscott]

Yep. Here in TX we're getting closer and closer to a swing state. I think 2020 will still be red, but we'll see.

I'm leaving for Florida early next year for family (not political) reasons. Been here (San Antonio and mostly DFW for almost 40 years.) I am interested to see if it becomes a swing state.
BTW I have a nephew with a family in the LA area and cousins in Sacramento so I watch these fires and hope for the best.

 

[panteragstk]

I'm leaving for Florida early next year for family (not political) reasons. Been here (San Antonio and mostly DFW for almost 40 years.) I am interested to see if it becomes a swing state.
BTW I have a nephew with a family in the LA area and cousins in Sacramento so I watch these fires and hope for the best.

TX to FL is going to be a bit of culture shock I'd imagine. Hell, me from TX to DFW was. Crazy how different people in Dallas think. Especially the northern suburbs.

 

[lovinthehd]

Just going to TX or FL is somewhat a cultural shock for most Especially Florida....what a mess.

 

[herbu]

Can someone explain WHY the power being on causes fires? The only thing I can think of is tree branches on, or falling on the lines. Here, the power company regularly trims trees along the power lines... usually in the autumn before any snow or ice. So how does shutting down the grid prevent fires?

 

[herbu]

Which is more important- people being able to charge their cars, or preventing wild fires?

Well, though my post was in jest, you should ask your question to the family of the guy who died because his breather was cut off.

 

[herbu]

All because of that Tech money.

And yet, with all that money, they have to print maps to warn tourists about areas where the streets are full of human waste from the homeless. And they preach to us about income inequality. Plastic straws are illegal, and plastic syringes are given away to druggies. Now they have to cut power to 2M people to prevent fires. Sounds like mismanagement.

 

[lovinthehd]

Can someone explain WHY the power being on causes fires? The only thing I can think of is tree branches on, or falling on the lines. Here, the power company regularly trims trees along the power lines... usually in the autumn before any snow or ice. So how does shutting down the grid prevent fires?

Power lines that come down during high winds afaik. Trees can also fall into lines/equipment, but they may not be on top of that either. Depends on the lands the lines go thru as to how much you can protect them I'd think as well...

 

[davidscott]

TX to FL is going to be a bit of culture shock I'd imagine. Hell, me from TX to DFW was. Crazy how different people in Dallas think. Especially the northern suburbs.

I hear you I live in Las Colinas which isn't quite on the level of some of the northern burbs. I've also lived in Lewisville and south Irving so I have a relatively decent grasp of the Metroplex. (one of my sisters still lives in Aubrey and the one who moved to Florida lived in Garland for years) And I worked in Arlington for a good while. BTW I am originally from Pittsburgh so PA to TX was a BIG culture shock.

 

[davidscott]

Just going to TX or FL is somewhat a cultural shock for most Especially Florida....what a mess.

I don't know I've visited NE FL quite a few times and I do like it. At least to visit

 

[davidscott]

Can someone explain WHY the power being on causes fires? The only thing I can think of is tree branches on, or falling on the lines. Here, the power company regularly trims trees along the power lines... usually in the autumn before any snow or ice. So how does shutting down the grid prevent fires?

I heard an interesting theory on a radio show. Since California has tried to stop all forest fires (which are natures way of clearing the area) it has caused the dead trees and bushes to stay and makes future fires that much worse. Just some food for thought.

 

[lovinthehd]

I heard an interesting theory on a radio show. Since California has tried to stop all forest fires (which are natures way of clearing the area) it has caused the dead trees and bushes to stay and makes future fires that much worse. Just some food for thought.

It's not just California, though. Ever hear of Smokey the Bear? I live surrounded by national forest, always thinking of it.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I heard an interesting theory on a radio show. Since California has tried to stop all forest fires (which are natures way of clearing the area) it has caused the dead trees and bushes to stay and makes future fires that much worse. Just some food for thought.

A lot of what burns in California is brush land, not forest. The biggest problem is people building homes in rural areas surrounded by brush or non-native trees that burn easily, like Eucalyptus. Every fall and winter California gets easterly winds (in SoCal called Santa Ana winds) that increase in speed through canyons and passes, which there are thousands of. I lived in CA off and on for over two decades and the joke used to be that there are only two seasons - fire season, and then landslide season when the rains come. This is normal. It's gotten worse as population has increased and intrusion into rural or wilderness areas has increased. This year is probably going to be very bad for CA fires, because last year had above-average rainfall so above-average vegetation grew in the spring and summer.

 

[lovinthehd]

A lot of what burns in California is brush land, not forest. The biggest problem is people building homes in rural areas surrounded by brush or non-native trees that burn easily, like Eucalyptus. Every fall and winter California gets easterly winds (in SoCal called Santa Ana winds) that increase in speed through canyons and passes, which there are thousands of. I lived in CA off and on for over two decades and the joke used to be that there are only two seasons - fire season, and then landslide season when the rains come. This is normal. It's gotten worse as population has increased and intrusion into rural or wilderness areas has increased. This year is probably going to be very bad for CA fires, because last year had above-average rainfall so above-average vegetation grew in the spring and summer.

You forgot about earthquake season

 

[Irvrobinson]

You forgot about earthquake season

Look who's talking! Oregon is in a subduction zone for earthquakes, which means "the big one" might be Richter 9.x or more. California quakes are mild by comparison.

Edit: And there's the minor matter of a chain of active volcanos...

 

[lovinthehd]

Look who's talking! Oregon is in a subduction zone for earthquakes, which means "the big one" might be Richter 9.x or more. California quakes are mild by comparison.

Edit: And there's the minor matter of a chain of active volcanos...

Yep we're waiting on the next big Cascadia earthquake! Volcanos are close by Have only felt a couple tremors here tho, nothing like the frequency when I lived in California (south and north). Bring it on! I'm old and don't give a poop. Definitely worried more about fire. Was just reading about the Long Valley super caldera the other day down in socal....

 

[davidscott]

Look who's talking! Oregon is in a subduction zone for earthquakes, which means "the big one" might be Richter 9.x or more. California quakes are mild by comparison.

Edit: And there's the minor matter of a chain of active volcanos...

I always understood that the next really huge volcano was going to erupt under Yellowstone with the ability to cover the entire western US under an ash cloud. Well lets just hope that happens in the far future if at all. BTW Irv pardon my ignorance but your icon represents which dwarf? Just wondering...

 

[Irvrobinson]

I always understood that the next really huge volcano was going to erupt under Yellowstone with the ability to cover the entire western US under an ash cloud. Well lets just hope that happens in the far future if at all. BTW Irv pardon my ignorance but your icon represents which dwarf? Just wondering...

Grumpy.

The Yellowstone caldera is not projected to erupt for at least another 100,000 years, if the pattern holds. If not, it's probably an extinction level event, and it's lights out for humanity. The Cascadia subduction quake is considered about due to happen already.

 

[davidscott]

Grumpy.

The Yellowstone caldera is not projected to erupt for at least another 100,000 years, if the pattern holds. If not, it's probably an extinction level event, and it's lights out for humanity. The Cascadia subduction quake is considered about due to happen already.

Thanks for the info Grumpy.
I didn't know about that Cascadia quake.