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The Air Quality Health Crisis from the California Wildfires

November 17, 2018

The Air Quality Health Crisis from the California Wildfires

The smoke from the California wildfires near Paradise, CA is producing the greatest air quality health crisis in the modern history of California.   Schools, universities, and sports events are being cancelled.
Although the terrible loss of life directly caused by wildfires in and near Paradise should not be minimized in any way, the health impacts of smoke will be profound, with millions of people being exposed to high concentrations of wood smoke.  Hospitalizations will surely increase and some increase mortality of vulnerable populations should be expected.

MODIS satellite imagery on Thursday at noon.  Dense smoke filled the central valley of CA and moved directly over the Bay Area.

For me, it is also personal.  My son, a healthy young man of 28 living in San Francisco, is greatly feeling that smoke as is his similarly aged co-workers and friends.  If young, healthy individuals are being sickened, can you image the impacts of those that are vulnerable?

The current air quality conditions around the Bay area are pretty extreme (see below), with much of San Francisco and neighboring areas in the very unhealthy range (200-300).   Looking at data around the world, it appears that San Francisco now has worse air quality than any major metropolitan area in the world, worse than even Beijing and Mumbai.

But what really stands out is the longevity of this poor air quality event– extending 7-9 days now for many central CA locations.    From my perusal of the air quality data of the Bay Area Air Quality Agency and other sources, this event is unprecedented in the 20 year period of data available.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Death Toll In CA Wildfires At 25; New “Devil Winds” Expected; Choking Air Quality; 250,000 Evacuated

November 11, 2018

Death Toll In CA Wildfires At 25; New “Devil Winds” Expected; Choking Air Quality; 250,000 Evacuated

The death toll from California’s multiple wildfires has risen to 25, after 14 more bodies were discovered in or near the Northern California town of Paradise, bringing the number of confirmed dead in the so-called Camp Fire to 23. Over 6,700 structures were destroyed just one day after the fire began, while 110 people remain missing according to authorities.

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5 People Found Dead in Cars while Escaping in

“We are doing everything we possibly can to identify those remains and make contact with the next of kin so we can return the remains to the family,” said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea Saturday morning.

A red flag warning remains in effect in Northern California due to strong winds and dry conditions, while Southern California officials have warned similar gusts expected to kick up on Sunday.

“We’ll get sustained winds of up to 40 mph and gusts between 60 mph and 70 mph,” said NWS meteorologist Marc Chenard, adding that he expectes Santa Ana “devil wind” to hit the Los Angeles area.

“It’s nothing but bad news,” said Chenard.

Two fatalities have been reported in the Southern California Woolsey fire, which has ripped through more than 83,000 acres as of Saturday night, destroying 177 structures, and is just 5% contained. California fire officials estimate full containment by Thursday, while over 3,200 firefighters are on the scene. Approximately 57,000 structures are considered at risk.

A Reuters cameraman recorded himself trapped inside his car as the Malibu area fire rages around him:

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Paradise Lost: Aggressive “Wall Of Fire” Decimates Entire California Town, “God Help Us”

November 9, 2018

Paradise Lost: Aggressive “Wall Of Fire” Decimates Entire California Town, “God Help Us”

One year after the deadliest and costliest wildfire season in California’s history, three wildfires have broken out in Northern California. On Friday, the most aggressive of the three fires destroyed most of the town of Paradise, a community with 27,000 residents, forcing residents to frantically flee for their lives. According to USA Today, as strong winds fanned the flames, they also hindered aircrafts’ ability to drop flame retardant on the fire.

In a 24 hour period, the Camp fire surged through the town of Paradise, located in the Sierra foothills, torching some 31 square miles, or 20,000 acres. Panicking residents dropped everything, with some abandoning cars to flee on foot as the fire blocked off escape routs. The state issued a mandatory evacuation order as the smoke from the flames darkened the skyline.

Fire

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Residents described being surrounding by a “wall of fire” which left them only minutes to grab what little precious belongings they could before leaving.

“We were surrounded by fire, we were driving through fire on each side of the road,” said police officer Mark Bass, who lives in Paradise and works in neighboring Chico.

Bass evacuated his family and then returned to the fire to help rescue several disabled residents, including a man trying to carry his bedridden wife to safety. “It was just a wall of fire on each side of us, and we could hardly see the road in front of us.”

Sherri Pritchard said she only had time to grab a few pictures before fleeing with her family and dogs, even leaving clothes behind.

“It was crazy, because when we were sitting in traffic people were panicking,” she said. “It was chaos. I couldn’t believe what people were doing.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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