Re: thinking of anyone here in SoCal

So what do you do with the zillions of houses already built?
I have seen a couple of houses built in fire areas of concrete.
The risk of earthquakes and I would imagine costs are prohibitive.
My sil lost her house 4 years ago in the big SD fire. The rebuilt
house was done to all the new fire codes. 2 days ago the fire
came to the back door but the house did not burn. Both of her
houses were built with stucco. It doesn't burn. There are just
too many people here in places they shouldn't be. Fire codes are
pretty strict for new construction but there are just a lot of
people and houses already here. I'd rather risk losing my house
to fire than dying in it during an earthquake. Fire usually allows
evacuation. No warning on earthquakes.

I can only guess that Eucs are planted because they grow well with
little water in this climate. WHen I was a kid there were rows of
them along the citrus and avocado groves as windbreaks. It worked
but the groves have been taken out and housing tracts planted in
their place. Some of the lines of eucs remain. There is a area
in Orange County that the railroad planted completely with a eucalyptus forest. They were planning to use them for railroad ties and then
the nitwits found out the wood would not work. That was in the
middle of nowhere at the time but people just keep coming here
for the climate and the opportunity. Now there is are probably
thousands of houses built among those eucalyptus trees. The biggest
problem here is the fires are going into areas that do not typically
burn. This wind event was the worst I ever remember. I have lived
in So Cal. nearly 50 years and it has followed a really dry couple of
years. 3-1/2" of rain in LA last season.
Loss of life this go round has been really low. That is something to
be thankful for IMO.
Taria


Lizzy Taylor wrote:

FarmI wrote:


And each time those fires are shown on the TV (which seems to be every Northern Hemisphere summer) I'm always amazed that there are so many
Australian Eucalypts planted in California. Given our experiences with those blasted trees, I can't understand why anyone in warm, dry climate plants them.


That and wooden houses. I know it is an earthquake zone, but modern reinforced concrete is good stuff and it is absolutely heartbreaking to see the only thing left standing is the fireplace wall.

I hope the winds die down and the temperatures drop back to normal to give everyone a chance of getting these d*** fires under control.

Lizzy

.

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