Could All these present and past devastating fires have been prevented? Trump thinks so and is blaming State Forestry officials.
Can't really say who is to blame, although from last year.... https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10...016-bill-aimed-at-power-line-wildfire-safety/ We can safely say who gets to pay... https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/09/21/jerry-brown-pge-wildfires-charging/ This is not to say it would happen, but one option has been suggested... during high wind episodes, transmission of electricity could be curtailed or shutoff entirely. Paradise might still exist if that option had been exercised.
In one way that I presently know of, he might have a point. My wife had a fairly large piece of property in Idaho which was mostly forest. The state government helped the Forestry Service with the task of cleaning the underbrush of forests by allowing property owners a tax break for those who cleaned out the underbrush to help prevent fires. That which was deemed Federal property had to be cleaned by the Forest Service but private property was done by the owners and sometimes with a substantial fine for not doing so. (Cleaning also included noxious plants) What I am driving at is if the Forestry Service of California isn’t manned well enough or for whatever reason hasn’t accomplished the necessary preventative measures to prevent fires, then much of the blame could be placed upon them. Noteably, the National Forests are controlled by the Dept. of the Interior and if that department is the actual culprit who is giving President Trump his information, then there is probably some noteworthy validity to it.
It's sad that we live in a society that always has the money to deal with disasters but we never have the money to be proactive. I think that the forest service, utility companies, and the general population could do a better job at fire prevention. I also believe that the government at all levels needs to increase zoning laws that prevent building and rebuilding in certain areas that seem to be prone to natural disasters. I could be wrong but in this case, I smell a whiff of politics mixed in with the smoke from the fires being directed at the Democrats in California.
It was warned years ago that California was setting itself up to be a fire disaster with many of its environmental laws. Much of the work that is done in other areas to mitigate the threat of fires is prevented in California by environmental laws apparently. I was told that some of the brush areas that should be cleared cannot be due to the fact that it is the habitat of endangered or threatened species. Many areas of California that shouldn't have been built up were subdivided for profit and lifestyle as well. In many areas, it is probably just catching up on fires that should have burned off in small fires that were suppressed or prevented. and that has allowed large ab mounts of fuel to accumulate. I think that is what Trump may be referring to , as controlled burns can't be done in many areas there due to population and environmental court battles. It eventually ends up in disaster, as was noted in the Yellowstone Fire of years ago. Downed power lines apparently ignited many of these fires, but fuel conditions are what makes them bad.
I do know that some areas have controlled burns...Ive seen them myself. Aside from all the political reasons, California is always almost in drought conditions and then add the Santa Ana winds to the mix...all it takes is a spark I'm guessing. When I drive to my daughter's all I see for miles and miles is brown grass or shrubs...especially Pacheco Pass. That's where Ive seen the most controlled burns also.
There are some controlled burns, but I think much of what is burning is where none have taken place. You are closer to the action than I am, however, so you should know.
So how far away from Calabasas and Hidden hills are ya CC? ...there was me thinking you lived among the Rich and famous... ...
We never have to worry about fires, because we live in.....The High Desert! (Shown are our Daily Papers) Hal
I knew California was big but it's hard for us to understand the huge enormity of any of the states in the USA ..I was only pulling your leg about living near the rich and famous, but I didn't realise it was that far. For us a 3 and a half our journey would take us from down here in the south to the North ...
Actually a 3 hr drive is not much in California...I think the length of the state is at least 850 miles.
NO , because you're roads are so much wider than ours, and so therefore the journey probably doesn't seem as long as it would here... In Spain I can drive for 800 km's in 6 hours... it would take more than double that here..
Well I sure don't believe California is going to hell just because a lot of it is burning up. There is heightened disasters all around the US now days and it seems to only be increasing. Thank God it's things that are being destroyed and not all the people who thought they owned those things. Things can be replaced...people can't be.