a few skewed observations on the fire
preface: cabin fever + wanting to be back home + hearing that repopulation of our area is still a couple of days away is fueling a lot of this.
1) the penalty for looting should be much stiffer. not only does it make people antzy to disregard evacuation orders, but with the cedar fire looting just 4 years ago, many people chose to stay in their homes this time around. 2 bodies were discovered in a home in Poway this morning. i fear more will be, based on how many of our neighbors stayed behind because of looting concerns. people wanted to make damn sure there houses were going to burn before evacuating.
2) local media has been very quiet about the looting, though we're hearing about a lot more incidents second hand from police scanners. clearly, they have a responsibility not to inform the public here, because the last thing we need is to have people flooding back to their homes in active burns areas, but it does dance on the line of reporting responsibility.
3) there have been several reports of arson in the area. the police are on the lookout for a man in a teal ford f-150 who was spotted trying to set fires along a rural road. another man was shot to death while fleeing police in San Bernardino yesterday. hopefully, that will give the rest of the arsonists pause. the fire currently threatening our house was started by a house fire 20 miles east of us. if that proves to be arson, the person should receive life in prison without parole.
4) i'm pretty tired of hearing comparisons to Katrina. a grand total of 7 people are reported dead as a result of this. evacuation centers have been turning food and clothing donors away. EARS, an animal rescue group that heads to disaster areas, was not even called this time. Nicole can vouch firsthand as she has been volunteering at a local high school that has been turned into a makeshift animal shelter. they're caring for everything from horses and cows to goats, dogs and cats, and even pocket pigs. yes, pocket pigs. they also have small goats that never get larger than miniature schnauzers. i never realized the links between SoCal and the Island of Doctor Moreau. anyway, i digress. the point is, here in a rich land of plenty, people are complaining about how long it's taking to return home. there has been no mass exodus. there has been no catastrophic loss of human life. if anything, watching all the donations flood in, we're left wondering "so, it takes a big fire to soften these people up enough to feed and clothe the homeless? wtf?"
also, i could really use a shave. i feel like i'm starting to look like Kurt Russell from The Thing.
1) the penalty for looting should be much stiffer. not only does it make people antzy to disregard evacuation orders, but with the cedar fire looting just 4 years ago, many people chose to stay in their homes this time around. 2 bodies were discovered in a home in Poway this morning. i fear more will be, based on how many of our neighbors stayed behind because of looting concerns. people wanted to make damn sure there houses were going to burn before evacuating.
2) local media has been very quiet about the looting, though we're hearing about a lot more incidents second hand from police scanners. clearly, they have a responsibility not to inform the public here, because the last thing we need is to have people flooding back to their homes in active burns areas, but it does dance on the line of reporting responsibility.
3) there have been several reports of arson in the area. the police are on the lookout for a man in a teal ford f-150 who was spotted trying to set fires along a rural road. another man was shot to death while fleeing police in San Bernardino yesterday. hopefully, that will give the rest of the arsonists pause. the fire currently threatening our house was started by a house fire 20 miles east of us. if that proves to be arson, the person should receive life in prison without parole.
4) i'm pretty tired of hearing comparisons to Katrina. a grand total of 7 people are reported dead as a result of this. evacuation centers have been turning food and clothing donors away. EARS, an animal rescue group that heads to disaster areas, was not even called this time. Nicole can vouch firsthand as she has been volunteering at a local high school that has been turned into a makeshift animal shelter. they're caring for everything from horses and cows to goats, dogs and cats, and even pocket pigs. yes, pocket pigs. they also have small goats that never get larger than miniature schnauzers. i never realized the links between SoCal and the Island of Doctor Moreau. anyway, i digress. the point is, here in a rich land of plenty, people are complaining about how long it's taking to return home. there has been no mass exodus. there has been no catastrophic loss of human life. if anything, watching all the donations flood in, we're left wondering "so, it takes a big fire to soften these people up enough to feed and clothe the homeless? wtf?"
also, i could really use a shave. i feel like i'm starting to look like Kurt Russell from The Thing.