Winery damage.
This is all so hard. We keep hearing stories about people who have lost their homes. It’s much less important, of course, but we have an acquaintance/friend who’s daughter’s wedding is in Sonoma this weekend and dh and I are supposed to go to a wedding in Mendocino this weekend. Hard to imagine what the options are…even if the fires aren’t right near by, the air quality will be terrible. I don’t mean to come across insensitively; 15 people have died and so many have lost their homes and have nothing but the clothes on their back. It’s devastating.
Those businesses depend on wine tourism and weddings and special events. Not only people lost their homes, some lost or will lose their jobs.
The couple marrying in Sonoma this weekend will have memorable wedding.
Mendocino the town is right on the ocean. It may not be too smoky; looks like the worst fires are in the valleys, separated from Mendocino by mountains.
I believe it was the 2007 San Diego fires that were also started by downed power lines.
I think one in Malibu a few years ago was caused by a downed line also, but that may have been from a car crashing into it and knocking it over.
Another reason why in the future, power lines should be placed underground.
My in-laws live in the city of Sonoma, which is not yet under an evacuation order. We have been encouraging them to leave anyway, but they are in their 80s and they really don’t want to leave unless they absolutely have to. They’ve already been through the loss of everything, when their moving van was lost in a flood in 2011.
I love that part of the country. It’s very hard to look at the footage and realize what has been lost.
I just walked outside. The fires are 80 miles from my house, but the smoke smells like the fires are down the block.
Buildings can be rebuilt. Certain grape fields are almost irreplaceable. It took those vines decades of growth to get to the current stage. And I am not even talking about human life. Sad.
Seems to be no focus at all from the WH on the loss of lives, loss of property…
It has been declared a major disaster and I just heard Jerry Brown say they have gotten lots of help from the federal government.
So now the city of Sonoma is under voluntary evacuation. My in-laws are headed to my sister in law in San Carlos. Not ideal, but I am so relieved.
Diablo Winds, the devil winds, are predicted again tonight up in the North Bay, and down in my Santa Cruz Mountains as well, and the East Bay Hills. If a fire starts in the mountains, which are very dry, it’ll spread like a blowtorch tornado. I’m packing a go bag.
We’re 20 miles from nearest fire…but as @CardinalFang said, the winds are predicted to pick up, blowing towards us. Yes, packing the Let’s Go! bag as a state park is virtually our back yard–one flying ember could do us in. I’m too chicken to wait until it’s mandatory…
Please, it’s better to be safe than sorry. In my area of Fl, they had a curfew of 3:00 pm, 11 hours prior to earliest signs of hurricane. People really did hustle to get going. Pack your essentials & be prepared to get going. Frankly, I’d go now. Fire is more scary than wind and rain.
D2 says that she can now smell the smoke, in Stanford.
Stay safe, @gosmom.
Stay safe everyone.
Stanford is between me and the fires. The smoke smell is strong here,.