NationStates

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/10/ ... 000-acres/

https://ksby.com/news/fire-watch/2018/1 ... ia-history

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainmen ... story.html

http://www.latimes.com/local/california ... story.html

Reminder, this is not out of The Day After Tomorrow or 2012. This is real life. Right now, Malibu, Casabalas, Agoura Hills and Hidden Hills are burned wastelands, and Paradise in Northern California is competely wiped out. And it's about to get worse, much worse.


What are your thoughts or feelings on the current disaster in the Golden State, which has officially killed 25 people and may have taken the lives of over 100?

I'm just glad I don't live in California and have to constantly live in fear that one day my house will be burned down one day
Other states aren't lost . I'm glad I don't live there

Always relevant in fall.

For the record, aside from the air quality going to complete crap from the SoCal fires, I am not personally in danger. Been a dicey few days for some friends, but they're safe at this time.

Unfortunately, climate change making our summers hotter and drier and making the Santa Anas in the fall more intense is creating perfect firestorm conditions far more frequently than in the past. Couple that with more and more development going up into the canyons and mountains, you have more people living in places that are more prone to being fire-danger zones and are harder to move into or out of quickly. That problem gets even worse when you get people who don't listen and wait until the last minute to evacuate, especially in those hard-to-access canyon/mountain areas; they get trapped and endanger not only their lives but the lives of the fire crews who then have to try and get them out. And sadly, there is no magic bullet to simply "fix" the fire danger problem. Lots of smaller steps, such as enforcing preventative measures such as brush clearance around buildings, or restricting development in difficult terrain, but larger scale fire control measures such as control burns and clearing dead trees/brush are extremely expensive projects that nobody seems too keen to throw the money at.

And it's not a problem unique to California, either. It's an issue for most of the west coast and the southwestern states (and up into Canada) as well- California just has more flammable acreage and a lot more people living in or bordering those really flammable areas in comparison.

Are prison slaves being used to fight these fires again? Because that's always fun.

Ifreann wrote:Are prison slaves being used to fight these fires again? Because that's always fun.

I would assume so, though at least participation in the prison fire camp program is voluntary. But given the labor and dangers they're exposed to, they damn well need to be getting paid properly for it, which they aren't.

Reploid Productions wrote:

Ifreann wrote:Are prison slaves being used to fight these fires again? Because that's always fun.

I would assume so, though at least participation in the prison fire camp program is voluntary. But given the labor and dangers they're exposed to, they damn well need to be getting paid properly for it, which they aren't.

When the issue of paying prisoners for extremely dangerous labor comes up, it immediately gets shot down with the inane idea of "they're In jail, punish them more!". That mentality is why needed compensation isn't rendered, and also why felons are unable to vote in most states.

Another year, another massive fire. I’ll be honest, I’m at the point where I’m automatically thinking of wildfires as just business as usual. Which considering my area is the one that got the Witch Creek fires back in ‘07, is probably a bad mindset to be in.

Reploid Productions wrote:

Ifreann wrote:Are prison slaves being used to fight these fires again? Because that's always fun.

I would assume so, though at least participation in the prison fire camp program is voluntary. But given the labor and dangers they're exposed to, they damn well need to be getting paid properly for it, which they aren't.

What might also be good would be if they could actually make use of their experience when they're released. Ex-cons aren't allowed to work as firefighters or EMTs in California.

Ifreann wrote:

Reploid Productions wrote:I would assume so, though at least participation in the prison fire camp program is voluntary. But given the labor and dangers they're exposed to, they damn well need to be getting paid properly for it, which they aren't.

What might also be good would be if they could actually make use of their experience when they're released. Ex-cons aren't allowed to work as firefighters or EMTs in California.

Really? That's bullshit. California, be less bullshit.

The Holy Therns wrote:

Ifreann wrote:What might also be good would be if they could actually make use of their experience when they're released. Ex-cons aren't allowed to work as firefighters or EMTs in California.

Really? That's bullshit. California, be less bullshit.

Also some of the prison slaves are children.

This is the future liberals want?

Ifreann wrote:Also some of the prison slaves are children.

This is the future liberals want?

Don’t be silly; it’s what conservatives want. Gotta be tough on crime after all.

Seriously, you couldn’t wait a single page before going “lol liberals”?

Essu Beti wrote:

Ifreann wrote:Also some of the prison slaves are children.

This is the future liberals want?

Don’t be silly; it’s what conservatives want. Gotta be tough on crime after all.

Seriously, you couldn’t wait a single page before going “lol liberals”?

Oh honey.

Ifreann wrote:Oh honey.

And your actually productive thing to say is what again?

I know some people who have lost everything to the fires, but I'm really thankful that I'm not in an area of California that's prone to fire.

Essu Beti wrote:

Ifreann wrote:Oh honey.

And your actually productive thing to say is what again?

That you have grossly failed in assessing my politics.

Anyhow, as the thread topic is California's wildfires and not prison labor, and I am most certain I am NOT the only Californian NSer impacted in some way by said fires, any of our other players reporting in? Given the scale of the fires, I imagine several of our players have had to evacuate or worse.

Reploid Productions wrote:Anyhow, as the thread topic is California's wildfires and not prison labor, and I am most certain I am NOT the only Californian NSer impacted in some way by said fires, any of our other players reporting in? Given the scale of the fires, I imagine several of our players have had to evacuate or worse.

I have a few family members from Paradise who lost everything. I'm extremely grateful to be where I am, close to the ocean and not prone to fire.

I'm wondering when was the last time there was a natural disaster in the US and the President blamed the victims.



https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061554334276747264

Vietmihn wrote:

Reploid Productions wrote:Anyhow, as the thread topic is California's wildfires and not prison labor, and I am most certain I am NOT the only Californian NSer impacted in some way by said fires, any of our other players reporting in? Given the scale of the fires, I imagine several of our players have had to evacuate or worse.

I have a few family members from Paradise who lost everything. I'm extremely grateful to be where I am, close to the ocean and not prone to fire.

I know "Oof" might come off as crass, but... oof. That's awful to hear. Best wishes for them rebuilding once the fire is contained and they can start doing so.

US-SSR wrote:I'm wondering when was the last time there was a natural disaster in the US and the President blamed the victims.

(Image)

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061554334276747264

Maria comes to mind. I'm sure I could probably find something equally dense about Hurricane Michael.

The fire should have been unsurprising, but this one somehow seems worse than previous fires.

Reploid Productions wrote:

Vietmihn wrote:I have a few family members from Paradise who lost everything. I'm extremely grateful to be where I am, close to the ocean and not prone to fire.

I know "Oof" might come off as crass, but... oof. That's awful to hear. Best wishes for them rebuilding once the fire is contained and they can start doing so.

It's sad that too many politicians are too busy arguing about what's wrong and who's fault it is to do anything and help people.

US-SSR wrote:I'm wondering when was the last time there was a natural disaster in the US and the President blamed the victims.

(Image)

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061554334276747264

The Camp Fire started in the Plumas National Forest, which is managed by the United States Forest Service, not California. I understand that the budget for wildfire fighting was actually recently increased (despite every other part of the service getting a funding cut), but all sectors of government have probably figured out something really nasty by now: a fire of that size is no more stoppable than a tornado. Yelling at California is pointless.

Klaus Devestatorie wrote:

US-SSR wrote:I'm wondering when was the last time there was a natural disaster in the US and the President blamed the victims.

(Image)

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061554334276747264

The Camp Fire started in the Plumas National Forest, which is managed by the United States Forest Service, not California. I understand that the budget for wildfire fighting was actually recently increased (despite every other part of the service getting a funding cut), but all sectors of government have probably figured out something really nasty by now: a fire of that size is no more stoppable than a tornado. Yelling at California is pointless.

Pretty much. All the money in the world isn't gonna do jack shit against a fire that has those perfect conditions of fuel and weather. Last time I had to evacuate due to a brushfire, we had sustained winds in the 50-60mph range with gusts north of 90mph. You get that behind a wildfire and about the best you can do against that is just try to make sure everybody gets outta the way in time. (Especially, again, those who are living in canyon/mountain communities that only have one or two narrow, twisty roads in and out!)

With all these forest fires I'm amazed California still has forest cover within its boundaries. All the same, though, are there long-term solutions on the state's policy horizon that could reduce their frequency? For I trust Trump to be a dick and do everything he can to stick it to the Golden State.

US-SSR wrote:I'm wondering when was the last time there was a natural disaster in the US and the President blamed the victims.

(Image)

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061554334276747264

I think we can relate this to Trump's demonization of the migrant caravan in the sense that Trump hates the weak and suffering. In Trump's social darwinist mentality. if "winners" made up most of California's population, they'd first and foremost have voted for him, but #2 the fire wouldve been gone already. Trump would be the guy to at a rallly say "if I was running that state, and let me tell you I'm a great leader, this fire would've been out in 10 minutes and 0 people would be dead!" Trump lives in the "just world" where suffering only happens cause people are weak and dont deserve to live. "Winners" don't suffer or go through hardship. They avoid it cause they're "tremendous."

Or maybe he's just mad they didnt vote for him, or he's just running his mouth. idk, its just a theory