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100,000 Still Stranded Amid California Fires; Giant Thomas Fire Only 20% Contained

100,000 Still Stranded Amid California Fires; Giant Thomas Fire Only 20% Contained

In an unexpected run of good fortune, a shift in the powerful winds that have fanned the SoCal wildfires over the past week and a half has pushed the Thomas Fire – the largest of the six uncontained blazes – away from nearby communities while also clearing the air of smoke, improving visibility for the beleaguered firefighters working tirelessly to suppress the flames. Meanwhile, further south, firefighters have managed to achieve upwards of 90% containment for the Rye, Lilac and Creek Fires:


[update] off Rye Canyon Loop, west of Valencia (Los Angeles County) remains 6,049 acres and 96% contained per @LACoFDPIO. http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1924 

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

The SoCal Wildfires Are Now Larger Than New York City And Boston Combined

The SoCal Wildfires Are Now Larger Than New York City And Boston Combined

It’s been nearly a week since the first stirrings of the wildfires ripping across Southern California sprang to life, and firefighters are still struggling to contain the blazes. The two largest and most destructive fires are growing despite firefighters’ best efforts at containment as the powerful Santa Ana winds – which are picking back up after another brief lull – fan the flames.

As CNN pointed out, the Thomas Fire, which presently covers 230,000 acres, is now the fifth largest blaze in modern California history. The fire slipped from 15% containment to 10% early Monday as it surged into the foothills of Santa Barbara county.

But perhaps even more staggering, the SoCal fires are presently covering an area larger than New York City and Boston combined.

As firefighters struggle to overcome the difficulties posed by the windy conditions, low humidity, and bone-dry vegetation, the fact that there’s no rain in the forecast for at least 10 days means the flames could continue to spread, uncontained, for another week or so before meaningful containment can be achieved.

As the map below – courtesy of CNN – shows, the six blazes vary in size.

One local CNN affiliate is running a livestream of the Thomas Fire:

Here’s a rundown of all six fires, per CNN:

Thomas Fire: It had scorched 230,000 acres by Sunday evening, with about 10% of it contained. It started Monday in Ventura County, and has since spread into Santa Barbara County. The fire has surpassed the 1932 Matilija Fire — which burned 220,000 acres — to become Ventura County’s largest recorded blaze, according to CalFire. It has destroyed 790 structures and damaged 191, Ventura County Sheriff Captain Garo Kuredjian told CNN, with firefighting efforts costing $34 million by Sunday night.

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

Southern California Time Bomb: The Ground Surrounding The San Andreas Fault Is ‘Rising And Sinking’

Southern California Time Bomb: The Ground Surrounding The San Andreas Fault Is ‘Rising And Sinking’

Pacific Plate And The North American PlateIf you reside on the west coast, you are living on borrowed time.  As you will see below, stress has been building up along the San Andreas fault for more than a century, and scientists tell us that southern California is way overdue for a major earthquake.  When that stress is finally released, the U.S. Geological Survey says that we could be looking at hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.  If you follow my work regularly, then you already know that there has been unusual shaking all along the “Ring of Fire” so far in 2016.  But thankfully the west coast of the United States has been spared from a major disaster up to this point.  Unfortunately, scientists assure us that it is only a matter of time before one strikes, and that is why it is so alarming that the ground surrounding the San Andreas fault has been “rising and sinking”.  The following comes from the Los Angeles Times

For the first time, scientists have produced a computer image showing huge sections of California rising and sinking around the San Andreas fault.

The vertical movement is the result of seismic strain that will be ultimately released in a large earthquake.

The California coastline is where two enormous tectonic plates come together.  The Pacific plate and the North American plate are slowly but surely moving against one another, and this creates a tremendous amount of geological stress.  While areas on both sides of the San Andreas fault have been steadily rising and sinking as a result of this stress, there are sections of the fault itself that have remained “locked” for more than 100 years, and other sections that have remained locked for more than 300 years

…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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