[Tig] SoCal Fires - no posts?

[SKIADCOCK at aol.com]

If these had been smaller fires that happen every year in Santa Ana season,  
I probably wouldn't have posted, but given the magnitude of it & knowing  some 
SoCal TIGers could be affected I did.  No intent to downplay any  disasters 
in other parts of the world, just that one small part of TIG-world  might be 
affected.
 
My clients from the UK & Australia contacted me to see if I was ok (I  am, 
smoke & ash & heat aside), so it is getting coverage  overseas.   BBC online has 
it as the #1 emailed story, presumably  due to the magnitude.
 
Not sure I'm up to date on the stats, but so far 19 fires, 640 square miles  
have burned, 1,500 houses burned, 500,000+ evacuated, and over $1billion in  
damages.  Bob's google url gives a better view of where the various fires  are 
located.
 
Hopefully our fellow TIGers are & will be fine.  But definitely  thoughts go 
out to those who aren't.  My next door neighbor's father is up  here from the 
San Diego area.  His house was one of those that burned, but  at least he's 
ok. I know quite a few people that were evacuated in the LA  area, as well as 
further south.  They're staying w/ friends or camping  out at hotels, if they 
can find any with vacancies.  That's a lot of  displaced people.  One of my 
local clients had part of his roof blown  off due to the winds, but so far no fire 
damage.
 
And I'd like to give a shout out of thanks to the firefighters who are  
fighting the various fires.  They truly are today's heroes.  And I  believe it when 
Bob's mom said they're dead to the world when they're able to  catch a few 
hours of sleep.  My sister is a park ranger in the national  parks, has had 
training in fire-fighting, & has been called out before  to help in major fires 
(not this time).  She's described what it's  like, and it's pretty brutal.
 
On a roll-eyes note.  For the US-based TIGers, Rush Limbaugh (radio  guy for 
those outside the US) thinks the fires are being exaggerated &  they're not 
that big a deal.  What a moron.
 
Hopefully the Santa Anas will die down soon, & we can resume our  regular 
schedule of discussing DI, etc.
 
Cheers.
Sharon Adcock



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