San Diego fires

Cloud · 10-25-2007, 10:14 AM

I wonder at the contrast between this disaster, and the Katrina hurricane. Similar stadiums as refuges; one a horror story of backing up toilets, no facilities, etc., the other described as a "county fair" with an overabundance of volunteers, and massages provided to evacuees.

Is it just a smaller disaster? Was New Orleans just a poorer place with fewer facilities? Has FEMA really learned its lessons?

As an aside, I'm always flabbergasted by the number of people who don't have disaster plans or supplies on hand. In California, surely, where people deal with earthquakes all the time, shouldn't most of these people have emergency supplies on hand? I guess it's just one of those things that people know they should do, but somehow never get around to it. Like me!

ZenGum · 10-25-2007, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloud

As an aside, I'm always flabbergasted by the number of people who don't have disaster plans or supplies on hand. In California, surely, where people deal with earthquakes all the time, shouldn't most of these people have emergency supplies on hand? I guess it's just one of those things that people know they should do, but somehow never get around to it. Like me!

Japan is the most earthquake prone country in on Earth (according to some) and gets regular tsunamis, typhoons, flood, volcanoes, blizzards (in the north and mountains) ... about the only thing it doesn't get are huge fires and droughts, although droughts are starting to happen.
The government urges everyone to have 3 days worth of water, food and other supplies per person in disaster packs ready to go ... yet barely 15 or 20 % of the people I have spoken to have them. Usually it is older people too. I guess they've seen it before. It's hard to convince people by telling them.
And even those with packs often seem to forget toilet paper. Du-u-uh!

I too have noted the difference between this and Katrina, and I'm wondering why. Got no answer though.

glatt · 10-25-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum

I too have noted the difference between this and Katrina, and I'm wondering why. Got no answer though.

I think the main difference is that a hurricane wipes out all the power in the region and causes widespread destruction everywhere in the area. These fires are widespread, but they don't cause the same overwhelming destruction everywhere. Some places burn, some don't. The systems (electricity, plumbing, etc.) still work, for the most part, even though so many individual buildings were lost.

Also, in Katrina, everybody had to evacuate. In San Diego, only some people did. Those who didn't are able to help the victims.

steambender · 10-25-2007, 11:29 AM

For the most part, the areas evacuated were not inner city, dense urban populations. Plus, San diego has a highly developed sense of volunteerism and service - 100 thousand active duty personnel, 300 thousand retired military. People are offering to pick up and do laundry for the stadium refugees!

We went through this 4 years ago, and everybody learned lessons from it. there are still people who had no clue, but most people effected in Ranch Bernardo (worst hit) were white collar, and the houses than burned average probably $750k. Their coping skills are reasonable. And the denser parts of the city and hotels were open to absorb the evacuees. remember that at peak only about 15,000 peple went to qualcomm. All the others (the balance of the 500,000+ potential evacuees) got absorbed by the community. the number of homes lost will be less than 5000, so the destruction is much less that Katerina, and the infrastucture is still in place.

San diego has had some high profile city management issues, financial mismanagement, and rubber stamping developers plans, that type of thing. But therre is still a sense of amatuerism to the city politics compared to say, Chicago. almost innocence, and it comes out in the community spirit in a big way at times like this.

"High Fire Danger" is a season here and the level of awareness is very high. It's always a question of when and where, not if.

There's also the difference between having emergency supplies in your house, and what you can pack in your car and take with you on less than an hours notice. Ranch Bernardo got evacuated at 4:00 AM on short notice, the fires moved the 20 miles overnight.

kids, pets, important papers, computers, overnight clothes...gee we're out of room, can't take our years' survivalist supplies.

10-25-2007, 10:14 AM	#1
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	I wonder at the contrast between this disaster, and the Katrina hurricane. Similar stadiums as refuges; one a horror story of backing up toilets, no facilities, etc., the other described as a "county fair" with an overabundance of volunteers, and massages provided to evacuees. Is it just a smaller disaster? Was New Orleans just a poorer place with fewer facilities? Has FEMA really learned its lessons? As an aside, I'm always flabbergasted by the number of people who don't have disaster plans or supplies on hand. In California, surely, where people deal with earthquakes all the time, shouldn't most of these people have emergency supplies on hand? I guess it's just one of those things that people know they should do, but somehow never get around to it. Like me! __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

10-25-2007, 11:29 AM	#4
steambender It just needs a minor tweak...here... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: kitty corner from where I grew up Posts: 48	For the most part, the areas evacuated were not inner city, dense urban populations. Plus, San diego has a highly developed sense of volunteerism and service - 100 thousand active duty personnel, 300 thousand retired military. People are offering to pick up and do laundry for the stadium refugees! We went through this 4 years ago, and everybody learned lessons from it. there are still people who had no clue, but most people effected in Ranch Bernardo (worst hit) were white collar, and the houses than burned average probably $750k. Their coping skills are reasonable. And the denser parts of the city and hotels were open to absorb the evacuees. remember that at peak only about 15,000 peple went to qualcomm. All the others (the balance of the 500,000+ potential evacuees) got absorbed by the community. the number of homes lost will be less than 5000, so the destruction is much less that Katerina, and the infrastucture is still in place. San diego has had some high profile city management issues, financial mismanagement, and rubber stamping developers plans, that type of thing. But therre is still a sense of amatuerism to the city politics compared to say, Chicago. almost innocence, and it comes out in the community spirit in a big way at times like this. "High Fire Danger" is a season here and the level of awareness is very high. It's always a question of when and where, not if. There's also the difference between having emergency supplies in your house, and what you can pack in your car and take with you on less than an hours notice. Ranch Bernardo got evacuated at 4:00 AM on short notice, the fires moved the 20 miles overnight. kids, pets, important papers, computers, overnight clothes...gee we're out of room, can't take our years' survivalist supplies.

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