To All in the LA Fire-Affected Area: hope you are safe

[mkg3]

Actually building a home to be fire resistant would have gone a long way toward saving buildings. The problem with Pacific Palisades and Altadena is the age of the neighborhoods. This has nothing to do with perceived biases regarding who's to blame, and everything to do with homes that were never designed for a drought stricken environment that regularly experiences high winds and fire.

I'm not overly familiar with California's current building codes,...

So I beg to differ, building codes can make a difference.

Not sure what you are disagreeing about. I'm not saying that building codes don't make any differences - they clearly do.

What I did say was that no amount of codes or policies would have prevented high winds and existing old homes. You are correct in pointing out and agreeing with me about the general age of homes in the affected area being a part of the problem.

When people rebuild, they'll have to conform to the new codes. That said, unless there are new technology to prevent embers from entering the eaves and vents to start a fire from inside, even with flame retardant material, some cannot be avoided. Certainly will be reduced.

So, just about everything you wrote in response to my post, I agree with. Just don't understand why you singled out building code. In big scheme of things, building code is just a component. There are plenty of others that affect future avoidance of this type of disaster.

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[mkg3]

Just got evac order but not leaving. I think a lot of people do panic, but if you're keeping track of how things are really going its ok, unless it was Tuesday, anything can happen. People are already packed on my street and ready to leave and the Archer fire is pretty much already done.
Small fire, once i saw the chopper and the army of firemen and the BULLDOZER mowing down everything, I felt good. Thank you LAFD!!!

However, Rivian is charged and ready to go over anything lol.

Hoping for the best outcome for you. Good luck.

 

[POLAR1S]

Biggest issue with California is that they dont care. Yes we have reservoirs, but not enough. Yes we maintain the reservoirs, but not enough maintenance. We're not in a drought they should always be filled. Water pumps and all are maintained, but they're OLD just like transformers in some of these neighborhoods are almost a century old.

Forest needs cleanup. We need to bring more water down here but Governor isn't just to save a little tiny fish. Utility companies need to maintain their eletrical poles and clear brush from there, etc.

 

[POLAR1S]

Hoping for the best outcome for you. Good luck.

Thanks!!
Its done now. Bulldozers from LAFD and Forest Service came within minutes. The helipad where they refill helicopters with water is literally over the hill less than a mile. So it's all good now. Just had to deal with panicking wife and saying the neighbors were knocking on their door. FYI, neighbor is old and just had surgery so they would take any precaution to leave as soon as next block is on voluntarily evac. Gusts are still 40 mph + in Porter Ranch

 

[KBabione]

Thanks!!
Its done now. Bulldozers from LAFD and Forest Service came within minutes. The helipad where they refill helicopters with water is literally over the hill less than a mile. So it's all good now. Just had to deal with panicking wife and saying the neighbors were knocking on their door. FYI, neighbor is old and just had surgery so they would take any precaution to leave as soon as next block is on voluntarily evac. Gusts are still 40 mph + in Porter Ranch

Glad you're safe - I can understand why your wife would be panicking. I just learned, from another forum in which I participate, of a high school teacher who lost everything in the Eaton fire. He and his wife are safe, but only had time to fill two backpacks with "life" before they had to leave. Worse, his mother-in-law (for whom they are full-time caregivers) lost her home nearby as well. It's so scary and sad.

 

[POLAR1S]

Glad you're safe - I can understand why your wife would be panicking. I just learned, from another forum in which I participate, of a high school teacher who lost everything in the Eaton fire. He and his wife are safe, but only had time to fill two backpacks with "life" before they had to leave. Worse, his mother-in-law (for whom they are full-time caregivers) lost her home nearby as well. It's so scary and sad.

Yea the Eaton fire was pretty crazy because it was really inland... and winds were up to 100 mph with no air support. Totally different battle up there and at that time.
Pretty damn sad of whats happening in Alta Dena. my friends liquor store was like the only remaining store and a few others on the block... lucky..

Palisades suck but a lot of people there have multiple homes with insurance and all while Alta Dena folks are old people living paycheck to paycheck some without insurance barely making it and they have no where to go. Same applies to palisades but its for almost everyone at Alta Dena. pretty sad.

 

[SPITmadFIRE]

Between the insurance battles and regulations they will face in rebuilding, like required fire suppression in your home, I expect many people will choose not to rebuild.

It's not that straightforward. Lots of these homes haven't changed hands in 10, 20, 30 years. That means, because of prop 13, they've been paying a fraction of the property tax they would pay if their homes were accurately assessed at market values. Some of these homes are assessed at $100,000 value despite the homes now being worth $2,000,000. That means they'll pay 20x more property tax for a similarly priced home if they choose to buy elsewhere. Even if you "downsize" to a $1,000,000 home (probably 100 miles out from where you used to live), you'll pay 10x more every month than you previously were.

Prop 13 has been a ticking time bomb for decades now. Even the "richest" homeowners in these areas are much closer to bankruptcy and homelessness than they are to becoming a billionaire.

 

[Rivian Owner]

Not sure what you are disagreeing about. I'm not saying that building codes don't make any differences - they clearly do.

What I did say was that no amount of codes or policies would have prevented high winds and existing old homes. You are correct in pointing out and agreeing with me about the general age of homes in the affected area being a part of the problem.

When people rebuild, they'll have to conform to the new codes. That said, unless there are new technology to prevent embers from entering the eaves and vents to start a fire from inside, even with flame retardant material, some cannot be avoided. Certainly will be reduced.



So, just about everything you wrote in response to my post, I agree with. Just don't understand why you singled out building code. In big scheme of things, building code is just a component. There are plenty of others that affect future avoidance of this type of disaster.

Please don't take my response wrong. My aim is to enlighten Not to demean. Maybe I didn't fully understand your intent, and I apologize if it came out wrong.


I'm sure we all want things done to prevent this from ever happening again.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

Just got evac order but not leaving. I think a lot of people do panic, but if you're keeping track of how things are really going its ok, unless it was Tuesday, anything can happen. People are already packed on my street and ready to leave and the Archer fire is pretty much already done.
Small fire, once i saw the chopper and the army of firemen and the BULLDOZER mowing down everything, I felt good. Thank you LAFD!!!

However, Rivian is charged and ready to go over anything lol.

Good luck and stay safe.

 

[sfvR1S]

Sometimes they do move though.. saw that in the Keys after the last hurricane wiped out homes, roads, infrastructure. Many had "had enough" and are leaving for good.

A lot of people have left SoCal as well.

 

[Ohm Boy]

Yea the Eaton fire was pretty crazy because it was really inland... and winds were up to 100 mph with no air support. Totally different battle up there and at that time.
Pretty damn sad of whats happening in Alta Dena. my friends liquor store was like the only remaining store and a few others on the block... lucky..

Palisades suck but a lot of people there have multiple homes with insurance and all while Alta Dena folks are old people living paycheck to paycheck some without insurance barely making it and they have no where to go. Same applies to palisades but its for almost everyone at Alta Dena. pretty sad.

I have family in Altadena (one word), my brother and sister in law who lost their home. Altadena’s demographics are far more diverse than you portray, and in all ways. But your point about insurance is so spot on. I grew up in the Palisades and seeing most of the town leveled, there are no words to describe. I’ve been in contact with one of my best friends from when we were kids and he and his wife lost everything. The emotional toll of losing everything impacts everyone. But as you said, add on to that less financial security as compared with most folks in the Palisades, yeah it sucks more. Thanks for your post. It really makes some very important points that we all need to acknowledge.

 

[Ohm Boy]

Just got evac order but not leaving. I think a lot of people do panic, but if you're keeping track of how things are really going its ok, unless it was Tuesday, anything can happen. People are already packed on my street and ready to leave and the Archer fire is pretty much already done.
Small fire, once i saw the chopper and the army of firemen and the BULLDOZER mowing down everything, I felt good. Thank you LAFD!!!

However, Rivian is charged and ready to go over anything lol.

Thank goodness you and yours are safe!!

 

[Ohm Boy]

Some places are just that dry. The Marshall fire in CO happened on 12.30.21 and started as a small grass fire at the base of the foothills. In a matter of a few hours it had crossed 4 miles of grassland because of 80-100 mph winds. On the north side It eventually stopped about a block from the house I grew up in in Louisville.
https://research.noaa.gov/looking-back-at-colorados-marshall-fire/

The same thing is happening in LA, although the damage is already much much worse. Between the insurance battles and regulations they will face in rebuilding, like required fire suppression in your home, I expect many people will choose not to rebuild. That is what happened in Superior, Louisville - there are still empty lots from 4 years ago.

My wife and I commented on how similar this is to the Marshall fire, except on a far more vast scale. There is nothing humanly possible that can be done when winds are that strong other than try to save as many lives as possible.

It’s just weird to see so many childhood landmarks just gone.

For all of you in the area impacted by these fires at any level, there are a ton of people who care deeply and that obviously holds true for the folks on this forum. One hopes that there is a longer memory for what has happened (and still is happening) than the news cycles would prompt.

 

[Robin]

Watching the LA fires makes me think of all the friends and colleagues we have in the area as well as any in the Rivian community that are affected by this disaster. It also reminds me of the Colorado fires that occurred here (Marshall Fire, in and around Louisville and Superior) a couple years ago in the winter during a time of extreme winds and drought.

To any members dealing with this: hope you and your families are safe. We are thinking of you.

 

[Robin]

It's not that straightforward. Lots of these homes haven't changed hands in 10, 20, 30 years. That means, because of prop 13, they've been paying a fraction of the property tax they would pay if their homes were accurately assessed at market values. Some of these homes are assessed at $100,000 value despite the homes now being worth $2,000,000. That means they'll pay 20x more property tax for a similarly priced home if they choose to buy elsewhere. Even if you "downsize" to a $1,000,000 home (probably 100 miles out from where you used to live), you'll pay 10x more every month than you previously were.

Prop 13 has been a ticking time bomb for decades now. Even the "richest" homeowners in these areas are much closer to bankruptcy and homelessness than they are to becoming a billionaire.

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