None of the funds which were charged for safety though, they used those for revenue instead of upgrades.
But there is 1 little problem we have in the South West, we are running out of water and without water no hydros. The drought is now over 20 years and still continuing. No Monsoon again, no rain or what ever since May and record temps and no rain in sight and that means no water. The companies have made a good buck, but the infrastructure is still the same as in the 70s, because above ground is so much cheaper. Its not just CA, we have the problem all over the South West, wild fires created by power lines.
Because the state is overcrowded and there's nowhere else to build. Initially they did generally avoid fire prone areas (in the 40s) but as urban sprawl continued, new mass housing developments encroached into surrounding fire prone areas. These are homes that are crammed right against each other like sardines, so once one home catches fire, it's likely all the others will burn down too. Developers aren't building homes with spacious yards anymore, the land is too expensive.
It would not matter, were you built or how large the lots are. We are in a 20 year drought, everything is so dry, that you can use it as fire wood. Live pine trees are at 30% humidity, which is basically firewood, millions of acres, same for the brushlands, cinder.
That kind of reckless capitalism killed 85 people and destroyed 18,804 structures. It's not capitalism when they have a monopoly.
It's been over for 3 - 4 years. The reservoirs had to be opened up to release excess water. The morons aka California legislature bought into the global warming perpetual drought fairytale and did not build any new reservoirs so all the excess water could not be captured and saved for use in the summer months when it very rarely rains in California.
One good winter does not change anything. We had 6 feet snow on the ground, at my farm. Ponds, reservoirs full to the brim. Nature exploding in the spring, every thing so green and than nothing. Millions of dead or damaged trees from the drought, same for brush, on top of it knee high grass and weeds, from the lush spring and early summer, all dried up by now. Add to it extreme high winds, caused by radical changes in low and high pressure and temps. Sunday we had 70 degress, 1026 mb pressure, by 9 pm we had 5 F and 987 mb 60 mph wind and a little snow. That system caused havoc in CA, with extreme high and dry winds, Santa Anna and Diabolo, 80mph and more. Dry as a bone with less than 19% humidity, the winds.
Who cares about Sierra Club. Yesterday I stopped an idiot hunter hauling to town, the trailer with his side by side, had blown a tire, no spare. On the rim, sparks flying, luckily on the left side. He was about to beat the crap out of me, when the deputy arrived. Those are the problems. At those wind speeds the power lines get whooped around so bad that hot and ground touch and sparks fly. Or they just break, hit the ground. We have hunting season, everybody is scared, because hundreds of city slickers are in the forest. Camp fires, 4-wheelers, side by side, hot mufflers, errand shots, cigarette butt, or what ever and we burn again.
The Sierra club sued to stop brush clearance. BTW you forgot homeless camps starting fires to keep warm.
Uh huh. I mean everyone knows Cuba, Venezuela, the PI under Marcos, China, Russia, Cambodia, North Korea, Congo, East Germany, Somalia and the other socialist/communist countries all have both more affluence for it's citizens and a better human rights record. Have you ever read a history book?
Exactly. It’s an absolute tragedy to drive through the affected area and realize that the morons in Sacramento care more about the welfare of a fish than human beings.
This is what needs to happen it will not be popular hell it will be political suicide for anyone who proposes it. Let the fires burn, until there is nothing left for them to burn. All the dead vegetation must be gone to stop these from happening every year. Wildfires are nature's way of getting rid of dead plants and paving the way for new life to grow. Its natural and it actually help the soil as the nutrients goes back into the soil. Step 1- Evacuate all the residents of california for a whole year the government can pay the neighboring states to take them in. Step 2- Keep the fire fighters at the government buildings. For the executive Legislature and Supreme court to keep them from burning down. Step 3- Do not intervene anywhere else with the fire until it stops burning on its own. Step 4- Rebuild in a california that will have at least a decade before another wildfire hits.
Uh....my mother used to say they should do this with my room Couldn't we just, you know, like, I don't know, maybe Clean the ****ing vegetation up, and then have a ongoing program of cleaning and letting fires burn some, in a controlled way. I mean, ...not to suggest actual solutions to a real problem when radical and downright silly alternatives are so much more fun or anything....
How are you going to do that. We are talking hundreds of thousands of acres you would have to clean up and what does clean up mean. You have to sterilize the soil, or the stuff comes back stronger than before. Now those wildfires are racing through the land, hardly touching the soil, fertilizing it with the ashes. Next spring, with a little moisture the plants will come back, vigorous, fertilized. Their roots have not burned in those fast moving fires. They are 6 to 8 feet in the ground, not damaged. Within 2 years you would not know that there was a fire. They do controlled burns all the time. Very tricky business. If they misjudge the weather conditions, regional conditions, they might create a real serious wildfire. What are you going to do.
Do tell how we are supposed to clear the hundreds of millions of acres of dead vegetation. My idea might be radical but its the natural solution. Plus likely the whole state is not in the wild fire condition so it could actually relocate within the state.
Your right. The California Govenor has no problem bad nothing Moderates and Republicans and the President. But because of his liberal policies. Failing to stop criminal illegals, allowing homeless to spread disease; failing to properly manage forests; he has no problem asking for our tax dollars Not until they start managing their State in a fiscally sound way..
Forest management. Removing dead trees, cutting the forest back from residential areas or perhaps not allowing residential neighbourhoods to be built in fire prone areas. Look up Forrest management.
I have a forest which I manage. Who is supposed to cut down the millions of dead trees the drought and beetles have left behind ? Who is supposed to pay for it ? The whole South West is a fire prone area, getting worse every year, so were to built.
I have one more question, what do you do with all this worthless timber, once you cut them down. They are just good for fire wood. Just cut them down and leave them, dead dry wood, which burns great ?