An NPR story on the fires also discussed the fact that Paradise has insufficient evacuation routes for the population Apparently most of the problem is due to the doubling of the town between 1960-1980.
They have a system in place for cell phones which is how my mother got her alert at 8 am (in San Francisco, thankfully). When the fire had already cut power to cell phone towers some are claiming they did not get the alert. It also went out as reverse 911 calls to all home numbers.
Police and fire went through the neighborhoods on their megaphones and that got more people alerted. Neighbors ran around knocking on doors. You can only do so much when that freight train is coming at 50 mph and it is miles wide.
So far, every one of their Paradise friends lost their houses and businesses. Magalia had a little more warning and time to get fire trucks in, thus the destruction is not as complete. Like many over 70, they mostly had home phone numbers for their contacts but have been able to get ahold of most through email.
The cadaver dogs should get through my parents’ neighborhood today or tomorrow. We’re at the point now where the missing list will approximate the list of the dead. Hope grows thin with time.
Someone at my financial services client took a call this week from a family member whose loved one died right before the fires, and the funeral home burned down before they got the formal death certificate. They are in limbo now trying to do various notifications that require the death certificate.
It’s been a wild week. Thank you for your well wishes, @mom60. We were 20 min. from the start of one of the fires and also not far from the location of the horrific shooting. Then, two days later, we had to fly out to attend a wedding. Feelings still so raw. A friend’s in-laws lost their home in the NorCal fires. Two co-workers lost their homes in Thousand Oaks. Another’s in Malibu was spared but her neighbors’ were not and will now have to worry about mudslides when the rains come. And the shooting. It was a popular college hangout. My older kids were familiar with it but never went there. Just so much sadness here.
@lilmom, I’m sorry you’re having to endure such pain and loss.
And now the people in the Paradise shelters are coming down with Norovirus!
That’s awful!
Especially when some people live not in the small town, but an hour up the dirt “road”, in a place with poor or no cell phone reception.
@jym626 sooo…yesterday’s air quality was 176. Today: 221. It is horrible now…bring a mask…
Air quality is so bad in SF that the cable cars have been put back in the barn for the day… 
Today smells smokier than yesterday here in Walnut Creek.
jym626, I have 2 restaurant recommendations for you in Oakland. Just recently ate at them both: Belotti Restorante (very small but they serve all day- reservations recommended) and Wood Tavern (also make reservation as they are quite busy). Both on College Ave. in the Rockridge neighborhood in opposite direction of the Rockridge BART station, both walkable from there.
Thanks, @jshain .My S and DIL used to live in Rockridge. They are no longer in the East Bay. But her family is-- so dinner will be at the inlaws 
@gosmom… 8-X
Last night the sheriff mentioned their list of people reported missing had 138 names. The unofficial list kept as a Google doc has over 800. Rumors coming out are that there were bones in and around all those cars pushed off to the sides of Pearson Rd. that we kept seeing with every story.
I am done thinking about it for now. So many.
If you want to know the depressing truth about California air quality right now, this is a good site: https://www.purpleair.com/
Walnut Creek is in fact worse today than yesterday. So is Silicon Valley; all day everywhere’s been above 200, Unhealthy for everyone.
@magnetron and @Cardinal Fang 8-X 8-X 8-X
I saw that, @TatinG ! Horrible.
it was NOT t fun on the Peninsula today- worst air quality I have ever seen here - and I was here before car air pollution measure were put in place in the early 1970’s.
could NOT see the coast range while driving south on 280.
bleagh…
At least the pollution probably does not have as much lead as it did in the 1970s.
^^^are you kidding?? the smoke from the Paradise fire has all kinds of toxic micro particles that were vaporized by the intense heat. Including lead paint and asbestos , from many older houses and trailer houses in Paradise.
remember what happened to those who breathed in the air after the world trade center fell / with the smouldering fires afterwards?
my purple air reading is now 256!!!
:(( X_X 