Communities between Tustin and Foothill Ranch asked to "stay vigilant" as a wind-driven fire burns 10 acres in the Santiago Canyon areahttps://t.co/v9fgLbVHPM
— KTLA (@KTLA) October 26, 2020
Both the CalWood and Lefthand Canyon fires increased containment on Wednesday with minimal fire growth. The CalWood Fire is now 24% contained and the Lefthand Canyon Fire is 43% contained. Yesterday, crews on the southeast edge of the CalWood Fire conducted a successful tactical burn operation near the Balarat Education Center to protect structures in that area and connect constructed fire lines. Firefighters continued working in the Highway 7 corridor and along the northern edge of the fire constructing direct line and checking the progress of the fire to the north. Last night’s night shift was successful in holding the fire to minimal growth despite the overnight Red Flag Warning that brought warm temperatures and high winds to the ridgetops.
Firefighters on the CalWood Fire will continue yesterday’s work in all divisions. Crews on the southeastern side of the fire continue to build line as the fire backs down the hill towards Spruce Gulch. On the southwestern side of the fire, crews will patrol the area near yesterday’s firing operation. On the north side of the fire, crews will continue working on the canyon’s edge and in the Highway 7 corridor with the intent of keeping the fire south of Highway 7. Crews on the northeast side of the fire will continue constructing and patrolling fire lines.
Firefighters were able to secure the southern edge of the Lefthand Canyon Fire on Wednesday and no new growth was recorded after midday yesterday. Crews working on the north side of the fire continued mopping up and improving containment lines. Further increases in containment will come as additional containment lines are secured.
Weather & Fuel Conditions: A cold front arrived over the fire area early this morning and will continue moving into the area throughout the day. Temperatures will fall through the afternoon, dropping below freezing after sunset. Humidity will also be increasing over both fires today, rising to 60-70% over the course of the day. The changing weather conditions are also expected to temper fire activity today.
Extremely dangerous #CalwoodFire just north of Boulder, CO directly affecting WUI right now. I have observed multiple large fire vortices and a large, rotating pyrocumulus column. Wow. #COwx pic.twitter.com/BCnUhMIScn
— Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) October 17, 2020
On August 13, the Cameron Peak fire in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests between Cameron Pass and Chambers Lake erupted. It burns over rough terrain in thick timber stands. Fire development has been propelled by high winds combined with critically dry fuels. There are evacuations and closures in place.
The Bobcat Fire that burned more than 115,796-acres threatened the Mt. Wilson Observatory and forced thousands to evacuate, the utility giant reported Monday, may have been sparked by tree branches reaching a Southern California Edison overhead conductor.
In a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission, SCE announced that it had recognized the possibility.
Investigators from the U.S. Forest Service did not share the specifics of the inquiry with SCE, but the organization told regulators, "SCE understands that in addition to retaining SCE's overhead conductor, USFS also removed and retained three tree branches in the area."
"SCE is investigating the cause of the ignition and the 12:16 p.m. relay on its system, and evaluating whether vegetation in the area could have been a factor, including whether vegetation may have encroached within the minimum clearance distance or contacted the section of the overhead conductor retained by USFS."
It's not the first big wildfire that SCE facilities might have begun. SCE admitted that it could be liable for the deadly Woolsey Fire after officials from the Ventura County Fire Department concluded that SCE equipment caused the blaze.
Firefighters who, since Sept. 6, have been fighting the Bobcat Fire do not expect full containment until Oct. 30. 171 buildings, including 87 residences, were destroyed by the Bobcat Fire and 47 buildings, including 28 residences, were damaged. According to Los Angeles County parks officials, the Nature Center at the Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area was demolished.
The fire at 12:21 p.m. was recorded near Cogswell Dam in the Angeles National Forest. On Sept. 6, and at 12:16 p.m., SCE reported, a portion of SCE's Jarvis 12 kV circuit in the area experienced a relay operation. At Mount Wilson, a camera captured smoke in the region as early as 12:10 p.m.
On September 16, SCE removed the conductor's 23-foot-long line for the U.S. Forest Service to be included in their inquiry.
"SCE personnel were permitted into the subject area and removed an approximately 23-foot section of 1/0 ACSR conductor (south phase) that was situated between an H-Frame structure comprised of Pole Nos. 4786005E and 4786004E, which had been significantly damaged in the fire and was no longer erect, and another H-Frame structure comprised of Pole Nos. 2127468E and 1583439E," SCE said in the letter.
The containment of the fire reached 92 percent on Sunday, as the 115,796-acre blaze that has been burning for over a month continued to work with more than 300 firefighters.
At lacounty.gov/recovery/damage-inspection, a map, collected from continuous field damage inspection and subject to change, can be viewed.
With the exception of Big Santa Anita Rd (The Chantry Road), all evacuation orders have been canceled and most roads have been reopened.
Over the weekend, temperatures cooled steadily, but increased to the 90s and low humidity on Monday, increasing the danger of burning.
It has not been determined the cost of fighting the fire.
Tropical Storm Delta was approximately 135 miles south of Negril, Jamaica, as of 10 a.m., and approximately 265 miles southeast of Grand Cayman. The long-term track, which often changes, has the storm making landfall Friday near Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes and then turning east toward New Orleans and then heading into Mississippi.
At 7 mph, the storm is going west. Speed is expected to pick up on Tuesday and Wednesday. The core of the storm is predicted to move away from Jamaica later in the day on the forecast route, move close to or over the Cayman Islands on Monday night, and reach the Isle of Youth and western Cuba on Tuesday afternoon or evening.
In the Caribbean Monday morning, Tropical Storm Delta was strengthening and is predicted to become a hurricane Tuesday on its way towards Louisiana, forecasters said.
In southeast Louisiana, the latest track from the National Hurricane Center has Delta making landfall Friday as a Category 2 hurricane, but this far away, the route has an average error of 160 to 200 miles.
Depending on the direction and strength of the system, heavy rain, hazardous storm surge, and gusty winds are all possible along the coast from Louisiana to the western Florida panhandle, forecasters said. For residents, now is the time to make arrangements and prepare.
Tropical Storm Gamma, weakening in the Gulf of Mexico, is also being watched by forecasters. It is near the peninsula of Yucatan and is not supposed to enter the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Forecasters said the long-term track becomes complex because they are unsure how Tropical Storm Delta will interact with the remnants of Tropical Storm Gamma.
The interaction "could result in a sharp westward jog, after which a sharp turn back toward the northwest could occur," according to Stacy R. Stewart, a senior hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center.
The latest track from the National Hurricane Center has the system moving into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
Rough Night/morning in east Santa Rosa as the #ShadyFire impacts Mountain Hawk Drive. @NorthBayNews pic.twitter.com/V2LC5popcx
— Kent Porter (@kentphotos) September 28, 2020
Glass Fire: Never wait til the last second to evacuate. This video is from Deputy Matt Macomber, one of several deputies currently evacuating parts of Napa County. pic.twitter.com/YQXFirJ0aV
— Napa County Sheriff's Office (@NapaSheriff) September 27, 2020
New satellite imagery of California reveals not just the extent of its wildfire damage, but the depth of the loss.
The maps derived from the satellite data show how far two major fires spread as well as how badly each region burned. Darker colors represent near-complete loss — charred landscapes with little to no living vegetation left. Lighter tan regions represent areas where the fire was severe, but some trees and plants still survive.
The satellite data was collected by Landsat 8 on Sept. 26, during a clear day after weeks of smoke that blanketed the Bay Area.
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Via my phone's default weather app, which uses weather.com, I received air quality readings. I downloaded IQAir AirVisual recently, and I've been puzzled by the fact that the reading of weather.com is consistently much higher.
For example, right now, I see the following readings:
These scores are all pretty poor right now, so it seems a little insignificant, but weather.com and AirVisual were both triple digits as recently as yesterday, with the weather.com reading sometimes reaching 200 due to the wildfires.
Answer:
The fire and smoke map of AirNow shows purple air sensor info but corrects it using an equation created after years of side-by-side research compared to official monitoring stations. Raw purple air data has high biases at high levels of smoke. Many 3rd party apps pull the raw purple data so that higher values are usually displayed. Daily AirNow, without any feedback from sensors, uses only official monitoring stations to craft the AQI. Data of higher quality but less coverage.
AQI or air quality index is a combination of variables and a formula to combine them into one number. Low numbers are good. Look for PM 2.5 numbers and compare them. They use different methods to calculate AQI with a large component being PM 2.5.
FEMA cannot pay for damage covered by insurance or duplicate benefits from another source.
FEMA grants are meant for costs to return your home to a safe, sanitary and functional. This means your home is habitable. Damage to non-essential space or property is not eligible under FEMA programs. If you have questions about the type of damage eligible under FEMA programs, you can call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service can call 800-621-3362.
7 Common reasons for FEMA Wildfire Disaster Assistance Ineligibility
Life-threatening storm surge from Hurricane #Sally is expected from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line in the Florida Panhandle. Highest inundation expected along the Alabama coast, including Mobile Bay. https://t.co/IGqyxeC0LO pic.twitter.com/YAIwVflMBb
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 15, 2020
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Have you noticed the sun looks a little more orange than usual? In the skies of Northeast Wisconsin, smoke from wildfires is creating hazy conditions in the western US. FOX 11 Meteorology Director Pete Petoniak says the smoke from those fires is carried by upper-level winds thousands of miles away, making the skies appear milky around here.
The haze also makes for some vivid sunrises and sunsets. The smoke filters out shorter wavelengths of light, leaving mainly orange and red shining through.
Two recent photos of the United States were taken by the NPP satellite and both photos indicate that the winds have shifted again, pushing the smoke back to the East from western fires and crossing the continental USA. Tiny air-suspended particles (aerosols) are also carried along the jet stream alongside the smoke and carry unhealthy air quality across the world. The picture on the left depicts the whole of the United States and the smoke cloud that hangs over much of it
The picture to the right shows the aerosols that go with the smoke. Aerosols are a mixture of small particles and chemicals formed by incomplete burning of materials that contain carbon, such as trees, grasses, peat, brush, etc. All smoke includes particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. The smaller the particles, the easier to inhale and absorb them into the lungs. From the EPA website: "Small particles pose the greatest health hazard from the smoke. They can cause a variety of health issues, from burning eyes and a runny nose to exacerbated chronic heart and lung diseases. Particle pollution exposure is even associated with premature death.
A good smoke mask protects against poor air quality, but not all face masks are effective at preventing smoke inhalation. Experts say it's best for those who don't want to inhale harmful pollutants, no matter what mask you wear.
There are a variety of respirators, but the one that works best against brush fire smoke is the N-series. If you need more protection, an N95 respirator provides adequate protection for most people. Overall, the N99 Smoke Mask is a good choice, good enough to shield you in the event of a conflagration or something. Overall, it is important to be aware of the different types of smoke masks available to you, and you should not miss them.
There are hundreds of vendors selling smoke filters and masks, mainly in Asia, but there are also in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and Africa. One of the best I have personally encountered is the N95 Smoke Mask, which is available from a number of vendors in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
As you can see, a gas mask alone is not an ideal solution when it comes to protecting a person from smoke and fire, but it can be very effective in combination with other smoke filters and masks to improve their effectiveness. There are washable smoke masks that have two valves that prevent moisture from accumulating on the mask and are ideal for people who do a lot of physical activity. Last but not least, gas masks have a built-in respirator, which can make them particularly effective when they are protected from the smoke.
Fabric masks are not recommended to prevent smoke and dust, as they tend to have poor filtration according to the California Department of Health. They are not there to protect children from smoke or dust and, worse, the particles in the bushfire smoke can cause respiratory problems if they are "too fine. Certified N95 masks are designed for children as they can filter out smoke and ash particles and improve air quality for adults.
If you are looking for a highly efficient disposable mask, the face mask is a good choice for you. You will also find N99 masks that filter out 99% of particles, and you must bear this in mind when looking for a mask with a high level of protection, such as the N95 mask or the N100 mask.
You cannot simply wear a surgical paper mask or a cloth mask and protect yourself from the fine particles. If you don't have a proper mask, a dust mask is better than nothing, even if it's not airtight. Smoky air penetrates when you breathe and destroys the whole purpose. While you are trying to filter out the hazardous chemicals and particulate smoke, if the mask is not airtight, you can still get some of the particles in, so that larger particles can be in the air. The gap between the skin and the mask can cause you to be between the gaps between you and the mask.
#EldoradoFire evacuation order map. Red Cross reception center at Yucaipa community center. pic.twitter.com/OdEf4RFKEF
— Yucaipa Police (@YucaipaPD) September 7, 2020
According to the National Weather Service, a derecho storm is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is accompanied by a band of rapidly changing showers or thunderstorms. A derecho is a group of long-lived winds and storms associated with rapidly changing thunderstorms or showers. Derecho is the name for a wide range of widespread and long-lived wind storms, which are linked in bands with rapidly changing showers and thunderstorms.
According to the NWS, a derecho (pronounced deh-REY-cho) is a widespread, long-lived wind storm associated with a band of fast-moving showers or thunderstorms. The official definition is "a wide range of widespread and persistent winds and storms, which are associated with rapidly changing showers and thunderstorms in bands.
For a storm to be classified as a derecho, it must have a wind speed of at least 100 mph and a swath of wind damage that extends for more than 250 miles, including a maximum wind speed of 75 miles per hour or more, and also include well - separated 75 miles per hour - or larger gusts. As mentioned above, a "derecho" wind must meet the criteria of a strong wind gust of 50-60 km / h or more according to the current definition. For a build-up of thunderstorms to be defined as Derechos, the wind and damage track must cover no less than 240 miles and include a total wind speed of 100-150 miles per hour, with a minimum of 25-30 miles per hour.
Because a derecho does not have the eye of a hurricane and its winds are from a line, the damage it causes is more likely to be spread over a large area than the local effects of tornadoes. A single thunderstorm hits a much larger area than a tornado that is more isolated, or a very large weather event that hits a large area.
While Derechos can cause destruction similar to the strength of a tornado, the damage is relatively straight. While derecho can cause destruction of similar magnitude to a tornado, it is often directed as a single thunderstorm or a very large weather event, not as a large tornado.
See the recent Iowa Derecho storm damage in August of 2020.
Creating an emergency plan can feel overwhelming, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a number of resources to help you do so. This guide guides you through preparing for natural disasters, acting in the event of an event, and what action you need to take at the end of a disaster that happens quickly, which means that you need to be ready to act quickly. Every family needs a clearly defined plan that helps ensure that everyone is safe in the event of natural disasters and evacuations.
Disaster preparedness involves drawing up a plan, preparing and managing disasters, and improving critical infrastructure before and after a disaster. The basic structure of disaster planning involves planning for a wide range of events such as floods, cyclones, tornadoes, forest fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Disaster Preparedness: a guide to disaster preparedness for the United States and the world.
You have to plan for disasters and the emergencies and disruptions that result from them. In summary, organizations must develop recovery teams to prepare a disaster recovery plan that includes the identification and assessment of disaster risks, disaster risk assessment, critical application identification, and the establishment of backup procedures. The plan should also include how volunteers are recruited and managed in preparation for emergencies. They should define who is responsible for how individuals should respond before, during, and after an emergency or disaster, as well as their roles and responsibilities.
Here is a diagram of the who, what, where, when, why, and how disaster preparedness plan.
It's great to have a contingency plan, but no matter how well thought out it is, it's only as effective as the amount of preparation that was done and how you and your community are prepared for it.
Again, it is impossible to know exactly how a potential disaster or emergency will affect your business, but you can use the threats and risks set out in step two to determine which disasters are most likely to affect your businesses and what the impact will be. The real test of your disaster plan will not only be your ability to survive the disaster, but you will also succeed in recovery.
The issues set out in the templates for voluntary organizations should be included in a document or plan describing the main mechanisms for voluntary disaster and emergency response. Encourage your community members to develop a prevention plan that includes things like a pre-determined meeting place, putting together disaster-relief kits, and contingency plans.
Knowing who is most likely to be affected helps you to know which natural disasters could occur in your region and how best to prepare. If a disaster requires the evacuation of your community, you need to plan evacuation procedures in advance and ensure that citizens are aware of the process as well. While it is important to have an emergency kit and evacuation plan, it also helps to know who you are and what you are doing when the emergency has no warning. Even if your institution is one of those institutions that have an "emergency" without warning, it is helpful to draw up a list of measures to be taken after receiving a warning.
Disaster risk reduction aims to reduce the impact of disasters on vulnerable populations, prepare organizations for an influx of activities, and draw up coordinated plans to reduce the waste of resources, time, and effort. The goal of disaster and emergency preparedness is not only to reduce the impact of a disaster on a vulnerable population but also to prepare organizations for the influx of activities and to design a coordinated plan that reduces the waste of resources and time in the effort, according to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
When you write a nonprofit emergency plan, you can begin with an understanding of why a disaster plan is relevant to your organization, the people you serve, and your mission. Disaster plans for volunteers, or "volunteers," as your organizations call them, will enable you to better activate and deploy your volunteer force. It promotes a strong knowledge base to be built up for planners to use and promotes the development of a long-term plan for disaster risk reduction and preparedness.
