hev
Hobo Jungle
Home, sweet home. Again, I really appreciate the thoughts and prayers. Basically, spent the beginning of the day as a hookey day from work (but see below) surfing this morning (hotel is on the beach at the Del Mar Powerhouse), having breakfast with Jahan and Rosie, and waiting for the all clear to go back. Got the bill on check out from L'Auberge. Sure enough, 1/2 the rate. Meals: on the house as a gesture to the community.
Went back to Del Mar Fairgrounds to retrieve the rest of the cars. The Qualcomm stadium evacuation shelter was a Red Cross operation. The Del Mar Fairgrounds shelter was a City of San Diego operation. Both had assistance in operation, control, and organization by the California Army National Guard and several Marine Corps Battalions from Camp Pendleton. These assertive, but polite, well trained men and women did a great job. Jahan and Rosie signed up for volunteer work with them tomorrow and Friday. Sears, Vons, Ralphs, and numerous other companies shipped massive amounts of supplies to the shelters and rendevous points. On Sunday afternoon, no one knew this was going to happen. By Tuesday morning, there was an abundance of supplies. There are still a lot of people who cannot go back yet, or have lost homes and have nothing to return to on their property. The elderly still need to be reunited with their support systems, whether family or institutional. Bear in mind that at any one time, as many as 270,000 people have been "out there" on mandatory evacuation orders; staying with friends, staying in hotels, or staying in shelters. Relative to the total population of San Diego county (2.9M as of 2006) that's an awesome social phenomenon.
Not all went well. I have eight employees in a directorate of 54 that lost homes. Amazing that it is not more, but it is as bad as it can be for those who have this loss. Most of tomorrow at work will be spent connecting them with Employee Assistance Programs to set up relocation, insurance negotiation, and other stuff. I have been on the cell phone all day since breakfast talking directly with them. There is much to do.
Hev, the firefighters are heroes. In the smaller communities of East San Diego people gather to cheer them as they drive their trucks through town on the way to yet something more to deal with. It won't be over for them for a long time. Estimates of containment and control are out in November. They will be working hard. See the following e-mail for a story.
San
Went back to Del Mar Fairgrounds to retrieve the rest of the cars. The Qualcomm stadium evacuation shelter was a Red Cross operation. The Del Mar Fairgrounds shelter was a City of San Diego operation. Both had assistance in operation, control, and organization by the California Army National Guard and several Marine Corps Battalions from Camp Pendleton. These assertive, but polite, well trained men and women did a great job. Jahan and Rosie signed up for volunteer work with them tomorrow and Friday. Sears, Vons, Ralphs, and numerous other companies shipped massive amounts of supplies to the shelters and rendevous points. On Sunday afternoon, no one knew this was going to happen. By Tuesday morning, there was an abundance of supplies. There are still a lot of people who cannot go back yet, or have lost homes and have nothing to return to on their property. The elderly still need to be reunited with their support systems, whether family or institutional. Bear in mind that at any one time, as many as 270,000 people have been "out there" on mandatory evacuation orders; staying with friends, staying in hotels, or staying in shelters. Relative to the total population of San Diego county (2.9M as of 2006) that's an awesome social phenomenon.
Not all went well. I have eight employees in a directorate of 54 that lost homes. Amazing that it is not more, but it is as bad as it can be for those who have this loss. Most of tomorrow at work will be spent connecting them with Employee Assistance Programs to set up relocation, insurance negotiation, and other stuff. I have been on the cell phone all day since breakfast talking directly with them. There is much to do.
Hev, the firefighters are heroes. In the smaller communities of East San Diego people gather to cheer them as they drive their trucks through town on the way to yet something more to deal with. It won't be over for them for a long time. Estimates of containment and control are out in November. They will be working hard. See the following e-mail for a story.
San
This one's for Hev. I think he can relate.
Del Dios is a tiny little community here in San Diego County. There were fire trucks and crews from all over the state dealing with the onslaught of the fire.
San
By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 24, 2007
By 10:45 yesterday morning it was clear the tiny community of Del Dios, built along the western shore of Lake Hodges some 80 years ago, was in trouble.
A tentacle of the Witch Creek fire already had blown into nearby southern Escondido and burned hillside homes just west of Interstate 15. Now the wind was carrying hot embers toward Del Dios.
K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Flames from the Witch Creek fire engulfed a home on Juniper Lane yesterday in Del Dios. "It just kept coming and coming," said Darrel Brant of a fire company near Santa Rosa. "The flames were just licking above our heads."
The last – or at least, almost the last – of the neighborhood's residents had been evacuated before heavy smoke from the north billowed over the 150 modest, rustic houses. By 11 a.m., the first embers began landing.
Mike Conway, 57, who has lived with his wife and daughter on Date Lane for 31 years, was among the handful of people who ignored the evacuation order. Conway was furiously wielding a garden hose, trying to wet down his wood-frame house.
He had seen too many homes burn “simply because the owner wasn't around with a shovel to put out a few flames,” he said later.
A couple of hundred feet away, an ember drifted into some grass and fire began spreading in a circular pattern. Other embers landed near or on top of houses on Ash, Beech and Juniper lanes and along Lake Drive, the town's main thoroughfare.
A few dozen firefighters were already in the neighborhood, waiting for whatever the winds brought. But it wasn't until just after 11 a.m. that Del Dios – which means “Of God” in Spanish – became a top priority in a morning and a week filled with top priorities.
The goal wasn't just to save Del Dios, which was touted for its panoramic views when developer Col. Ed Fletcher began selling vacation houses there in 1925, but also to stop the fire from jumping Del Dios Highway and heading west up Mount Israel. If it did, it eventually might move into the wooded communities of Harmony Grove and Elfin Forest, which burned 11 years ago in what was at the time the most destructive fire in the county in decades.
Within 15 minutes, fire engines were pouring into Del Dios. Within 20 minutes, more than 200 firefighters from all over the state were gearing up for the fight.
Soon after Cal Fire Division Chief Kelley Gouette arrived, he knew the first battle of Del Dios was lost.
An ember had flown across the highway, and the fire was roaring up Mount Israel.
The second battle was more of a mixed bag. Although the southern half of Del Dios was safe, some homes in the northern section of the community were ablaze by the time most firefighters arrived.
“We were about five or 10 minutes too late,” Gouette said.
His forces were stretched too thin. Too much was happening all at once.
“It just kept coming and coming,” said engineer Darrel Brant of engine No. 9165 of the Rancho Adobe Fire District near Santa Rosa. “The flames were just licking above our heads.”
Brant's face and arms were smeared with ash and dirt and his eyes were brick red. It is a look shared by hundreds of firefighters on the lines. In the previous 48 hours, Brant had slept for three.
Nearby, a downed power line exploded like a firecracker, over and over again.
“We were able to save three houses along Ash,” Brant said. “We feel pretty good about that.”
Carlsbad firefighter/paramedic Blaine Morgan said at least six homes were already going up when his engine traveled farther south along Juniper Lane.
“We were just trying to pick winning houses to save,” Morgan said. “We're just trying to give people a place to come home to.”
By 1:30 p.m., the Witch Creek fire had blown through Del Dios. About 20 homes were lost, but about 130 had been saved.
Two landmark businesses also had been preserved: Hernandez' Hideaway, a popular Mexican restaurant in the southern part of the neighborhood, and the original Del Dios Country Store at Date Lane and Lake Drive.
After the battles had quieted, a fire crew from El Dorado County closed their eyes for a few minutes and rested in their truck. Engine 289 from Cameron Park near Lake Tahoe slowly drove down Lake Drive while firefighter Dustin Jeslinski walked in front and pounded out stubborn smoking embers with a hoe.
At about 6 p.m., another house was burning; through the windows, pictures could be seen melting on the walls. The dozen or so remaining firefighters kept the flames from spreading, then continued extinguishing hot spots and waiting for the next emergency.
“With what we had at the time it went well,” said Gouette, who is finding hope in modest victories this week. “There were (a lot) of homes down there and we could have lost them all.”
Staff writer Brooke Williams contributed to this report.
jharry.jones@uniontrib.com
Del Dios is a tiny little community here in San Diego County. There were fire trucks and crews from all over the state dealing with the onslaught of the fire.
San
San,
After reading your posts about the fires I am struck by the differences with the New Orleans Katrina mess.
I think I know the answer but there was much more warning concerning Katrina than the fires in your area yet your situation seems to have run with relative calm and order.What/who made the difference?
Best wishes to all.
After reading your posts about the fires I am struck by the differences with the New Orleans Katrina mess.
I think I know the answer but there was much more warning concerning Katrina than the fires in your area yet your situation seems to have run with relative calm and order.What/who made the difference?
Best wishes to all.
roger
I support thread drift.
If God didn't want women to be looked at, He would have made 'em ugly. RAH
I support thread drift.
If God didn't want women to be looked at, He would have made 'em ugly. RAH
1) Local (city, county, red cross) agencies had a plan and immediately started acting on it rather than wait (or blame) state government, FEMA, or other federal entities.
2) People at the evacuation centers were a cross section of the city, not just knuckle draggers who stayed behind. Many who were evacuated immediately volunterred to help. An operational plan to use channel their efforts was in place.
3) Evacuation centers had a plan of operation in place before the incident. Donors for supplies had been lined up since the 2003 Cedar Fire. Food and medical supplies, pillows, beds, comfort items were available within 12 hours of the beginning. Many individuals and small businesses spontaneously contributed.
4) Peak occupancy of the evacuation centers has been over a relatively short time, 3 - 4 days.
5) Worrisome as it might be, relatively continuous information on the media with some amount of detail, right down to Thomas Brother's map pages and coordinates. Immediate media presence of the mayor, county supervisors, sheriff, and other officials with the appearance of a plan or the frank admission where there was no plan and improvisation was needed.
6) Dedicated fire and police personnel. Those folks went to minimum twelve hour shifts immediately and stood their posts. Early arrival and presence of Army NG personnel. Eventually, CDF, and fire fighting assests of other communities were needed, but the local resourses were not hamstrung without them. The fires were impossible to fight early on due to the high winds, but evacuations, tracking, intelligence collection, and asset deployment immediately started.
Jon, I'll take that beer. My throat is scratchy.
San
2) People at the evacuation centers were a cross section of the city, not just knuckle draggers who stayed behind. Many who were evacuated immediately volunterred to help. An operational plan to use channel their efforts was in place.
3) Evacuation centers had a plan of operation in place before the incident. Donors for supplies had been lined up since the 2003 Cedar Fire. Food and medical supplies, pillows, beds, comfort items were available within 12 hours of the beginning. Many individuals and small businesses spontaneously contributed.
4) Peak occupancy of the evacuation centers has been over a relatively short time, 3 - 4 days.
5) Worrisome as it might be, relatively continuous information on the media with some amount of detail, right down to Thomas Brother's map pages and coordinates. Immediate media presence of the mayor, county supervisors, sheriff, and other officials with the appearance of a plan or the frank admission where there was no plan and improvisation was needed.
6) Dedicated fire and police personnel. Those folks went to minimum twelve hour shifts immediately and stood their posts. Early arrival and presence of Army NG personnel. Eventually, CDF, and fire fighting assests of other communities were needed, but the local resourses were not hamstrung without them. The fires were impossible to fight early on due to the high winds, but evacuations, tracking, intelligence collection, and asset deployment immediately started.
Jon, I'll take that beer. My throat is scratchy.
San
Last edited by Del Mar on Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dennis, I just put a fresh pot on. Help yourself! I detoured from work this morning to Home Depot where I was able to place an order for the dense 2" foam to be shipped to me from a store further up north. That saved me a 3 hour drive each way!! What do you all think of this style ceiling tile mountain work as a backdrop?
Running that red block Charlie.
You don't remember, Dennis?
I guess somehow you made bail and ended up in back of Gomer's.
San
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A man was arrested after a government agent allegedly found him in an office building restroom lying next to an inflatable, anatomically correct doll with his pants down. Craig S. McCullough, 47, was charged Wednesday with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor.
The criminal complaint against McCullough says he was discovered in the public restroom by an agent for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, which is one of the federal agencies that rents space in the Hach office building.
McCullough was arrested, and Cedar Rapids police took him to the Linn County jail. His arraignment was scheduled later Friday, police spokeswoman Cristy Hamblin said.
Another agency has an outstanding warrant against McCullough, but the reason for that warrant was not immediately clear, Hamblin said. He was still in jail Friday morning and it wasn't clear if he had an attorney.
McCullough's criminal record includes a 2004 conviction for burglarizing Just For Me bridal boutique. Shortly after the burglary, police officers found McCullough in a nearby alley, carrying a mannequin wearing a bridal dress.
I guess somehow you made bail and ended up in back of Gomer's.
San
Next round is on me!!! 
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