2025 fires: Cal professor on why comparisons to post-Oakland fire are wrong

222 Views | 7 Replies | Last: 1 day ago by smh
wifeisafurd
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9:06a, 1/24/25
As every impacted relative and friend I know is absurdly underinsured:

CBMiswFBVV95cUxORnpwS3pPbDhQSUFEUVIwY1N1QzJxcWlER29zbTNzeXNGbGZ5WEp2WlVMdHpDRi05V081VDQ3cWR3cnlBRi1EQ05xTFNjU21jN3RaYU5sLXQ1V19Xdy1ET2ktT1RzWW5Fdjk3NnQ5TnpZOE90ZDBiS21LMVBPWHJtUXRaMFUzSWp5Sl9rZWJ1SjVUekJEdF9HcXlmbHA5djNRTHVMcGp4MVk3RUdvQk9KdTRORQ

The other side of the equation is that It can take weeks before former residents are even able to check on their properties, clean away the toxins for State levels, and more than a year before all the debris and hazardous materials are removed so homeowners can start rebuilding. It could be several more years before critical infrastructure, like water systems, power lines, roads and schools, is fully rebuilt, with funding fights in Washington potentially delaying that progress furthe - which is very different that the Oakland situation. To be blunt, unless Trump approves massive Federal aide, this is not happening, and I don't see Newsom willing to bend on things like cooperation with ICA agents.

In any event, most folks I know who are impacted are seriously considering taking their tax losses, walking away, and moving.
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DiabloWags
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In reply to wifeisafurd • 9:10a, 1/24/25
I recall how long it took for homeowners to get paid and rebuild on the Piedmont ridgeline above Lake Temescal. These homes were in full view whenever I came out of the Caldecott Tunnel and it remained a "moonscape" for years.

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Anarchistbear
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9:25a, 1/24/25
Altadena will be faster being more modest with less exposure.

Agreed, lots of Palisades will sell and emigrate.

It'd make a nice park
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wifeisafurd
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In reply to Anarchistbear • 9:33a, 1/24/25
Anarchistbear said:
Altadena will be faster being more modest with less exposure.

Agreed, lots of Palisades will sell and emigrate.

It'd make a nice park
I agree. By the time the year is out, I suspect we will be talking about 4 to 5 areas in SoCal with significant fire damage. For whatever reasons, NorCal seems to be in a better place in dealing with these fires.
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HearstMining
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In reply to wifeisafurd • 9:52a, 1/24/25
wifeisafurd said:
Anarchistbear said:
Altadena will be faster being more modest with less exposure.

Agreed, lots of Palisades will sell and emigrate.

It'd make a nice park
I agree. By the time the year is out, I suspect we will be talking about 4 to 5 areas in SoCal with significant fire damage. For whatever reasons, NorCal seems to be in a better place in dealing with these fires.
Well, this year, NorCal had a wet December, but there will be other years when we won't. The Paradise fire started November 8. A combination of wind and fire on that date this year in NorCal could have been ugly. I was talking to a friend from Orinda yesterday who got her "Decline to Renew" notice from State Farm a few months ago and she's still trying to find an alternative. I live in Granite Bay in Placer County and every time we get a letter from our insurer, State Farm, I hold my breath as I open it.
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Big C
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In reply to HearstMining • 4:53p, 1/24/25
HearstMining said:
wifeisafurd said:
Anarchistbear said:
Altadena will be faster being more modest with less exposure.

Agreed, lots of Palisades will sell and emigrate.

It'd make a nice park
I agree. By the time the year is out, I suspect we will be talking about 4 to 5 areas in SoCal with significant fire damage. For whatever reasons, NorCal seems to be in a better place in dealing with these fires.
Well, this year, NorCal had a wet December, but there will be other years when we won't. The Paradise fire started November 8. A combination of wind and fire on that date this year in NorCal could have been ugly. I was talking to a friend from Orinda yesterday who got her "Decline to Renew" notice from State Farm a few months ago and she's still trying to find an alternative. I live in Granite Bay in Placer County and every time we get a letter from our insurer, State Farm, I hold my breath as I open it.
Very rare to have wildfire conditions in NorCal, in January, but August-September is a whole 'nother story.

I'm reading that Orinda-Moraga is considered to be one of the most dangerous places to be, in terms of future wildfires. Not surprising, when you think about it. I had always thought of that area as one of the greatest places to live, anywhere. Not gonna lie: being so close to Cal Football and Basketball is part of the appeal, but many other reasons, as well. Rethinking that notion.
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DiabloWags
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In reply to Big C • 5:28p, 1/24/25
When exploring a Wildfire Fund after the deadly wildfires in NorCal in 2017 and 2018, the California Senate contracted with a Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment by the name of Michael Wara to figure out wildfire risk and modeling of 3 areas in California.

They were:

1.) Moraga/Orinda
2.) Los Altos Hills
3.) Pacific Palisades

"If Orinda or Moraga were to burn, it would not be a wildfire," Wara said.

"It would be an urban firestorm."

"Worst case scenario fire in the area could reach around $30 Billion"

This Bay Area city is one of the most at risk of an urban firestorm


Previous White Paper:

New_Strategy_Wildfire_Epidemic_Whitepaper_1.pdf


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smh
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6:40p, 1/24/25
given uncontrolled ongoing co2 bloat, well shurrre, hell fire gonna bring grief for the rest of our lives, and worse for future generation(s) # just desserts
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