CA - Pacific Palisades - 30,000 People Ordered to Evacuate From L.A. Wildfires #2

[slowpoke]

“Vegetation, particularly plant roots, help anchor soil in place, Vahedifard said, so after that burns away, loose soil is able to move more. On top of that, as ash accumulates on the ground, it can block water from getting into the soil, which subsequently causes high volumes of runoff. Over time, the water flow creates a path that can make it easier for dirt, debris and even entire structures to slide downhill.”

Los Angeles home survived the fire, only to be split in two by a landslide

After wildfires destabilize hillsides, the risk of landslides grows, making episodes like this more likely in the future.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[iamshadow21]

ABC Australia article about the road ahead for Los Angeles, paralleling it with the Black Saturday fires here.

'Unimaginable heartbreak': counting the toll of the Los Angeles fires

As firefighters continue to battle the blazes bearing down on Los Angeles, some residents left in their wake have begun assessing what's next.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Curious Me]

Watch the video too, included within the article. This might've been shared on here before. (Just noticed it was on this page.) It's a shocking sight. So sorry this is all happening. Prayers​

Hillside Home Survived Palisades Fire Only to Be Split in Half by Landslide: ‘Devastating’

A hillside home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., narrowly survived the Palisades fire, but it was destroyed by the water used to fight the ongoing fires that erupted on Tuesday, Jan. 7.

people.com

The 1,000-square-foot, single-family home split in two due to water runoff from the continuing firefight. It was one of 12,300 structures destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton Fires.

[...]

"It's safe to say that the infrastructure under thousands of homes have been compromised. And with that, can come challenges like this — if it's on a steep hillside," Scott said, per the Los Angeles Times.​

 

[SouthAussie]

"As the National Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. approaches, the Red Cross has seen the best of humanity — not only in California, but across the country — as thousands of people have given blood, donated money and contributed their time to help ensure no one would experience a crisis alone. In fact, more than 8,000 local community members have raised their hand to help people impacted by the fires.

In shelters, disaster health volunteers are caring for minor injuries and replacing things like eyeglasses and medications, and mental health workers are providing emotional support to those experiencing unimaginable loss.

The top priority is housing, but people also need help with transportation, health care, childcare and other challenges.

As many as 550 Red Cross responders are working day and night to make sure people are not alone. Since the fires started over a week ago, the Red Cross has provided more than 38,000 meals and snacks with the help of partners."

Red Cross seeing best of humanity as volunteers step up to help wildfire victims

Thousands of Californians are devastated by the catastrophic wildfires that wiped out their homes, cherished mementos and even their livelihoods. The American Red Cross is there, providing help and hope.

www.redcross.org

 

[SouthAussie]

.
A California fifth grader interviews his firefighter father (I have posted a small part)


Cian: What were the winds like and how did they affect the fire and the job you were doing?

Lawlor: The wind makes you think that you are doing a good job on one side of a nice house, but then you go around the corner and the wind has caused the fire to start on the other side of the house. So you are kind of wasting your time and you need to redirect. So it just makes it very challenging.

Cian: What is the morale like at the department now?

Lawlor: There's definitely fatigue, physical fatigue, and there's definitely mental fatigue from it. But we're doing okay. Everyone is very appreciative of all the support we've been shown. There is so much food and so many well-wishers coming to our fire stations that it really gives us a boost every day to keep going, knowing that we're hopefully making just a little difference in someone's life.

Cian: Are you still currently fighting fire? What does your job look like on a daily basis now?

Lawlor: Yes, I am. I'm currently assigned to the Palisades Fire. We started on 12-hour shifts, and now we're working full 24-hour shifts. So you're talking to me on my rest day. It's as much a physical rest as it is a mental break. And then I will be reporting back for my 24-hour shift at 6 a.m. tomorrow, and I'll be there for another 24 hours.

 

[iamshadow21]

From The Mountains to The Beach is a Facebook group set up to facilitate Colorado survivors of the Marshall fire to help, support and advise victims of the current fires in LA.

L.A. Fires: Progress in Southern California containment efforts as winds weaken

Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed more than two dozen people. Weaker winds enabled firefighters to make inroads containing the Palisades and Eaton fires.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Lilibet]

.
A California fifth grader interviews his firefighter father (I have posted a small part)


Cian: What were the winds like and how did they affect the fire and the job you were doing?

Lawlor: The wind makes you think that you are doing a good job on one side of a nice house, but then you go around the corner and the wind has caused the fire to start on the other side of the house. So you are kind of wasting your time and you need to redirect. So it just makes it very challenging.

Cian: What is the morale like at the department now?

Lawlor: There's definitely fatigue, physical fatigue, and there's definitely mental fatigue from it. But we're doing okay. Everyone is very appreciative of all the support we've been shown. There is so much food and so many well-wishers coming to our fire stations that it really gives us a boost every day to keep going, knowing that we're hopefully making just a little difference in someone's life.

Cian: Are you still currently fighting fire? What does your job look like on a daily basis now?

Lawlor: Yes, I am. I'm currently assigned to the Palisades Fire. We started on 12-hour shifts, and now we're working full 24-hour shifts. So you're talking to me on my rest day. It's as much a physical rest as it is a mental break. And then I will be reporting back for my 24-hour shift at 6 a.m. tomorrow, and I'll be there for another 24 hours.

Awwwww…love it! My husband taught fifth grade in Northern California for about 13 years. It’s a great age for this sort of thing. (He got “demoted” to second grade (7 year olds) when we moved to Oregon. They were great too.)

 

[SouthAussie]

Awwwww…love it! My husband taught fifth grade in Northern California for about 13 years. It’s a great age for this sort of thing. (He got “demoted” to second grade (7 year olds) when we moved to Oregon. They were great too.)

I like that they call Cian a "budding journalist" and that his family bought him a new podcasting kit for Christmas. The interview was the first time he had spoken with his dad in a week, due to his dad's work on the fires. They did the interview via Zoom.

Expect to see podcasts from Cian soon!

 

[iamshadow21]

Great little article about two of the dogs working to help bring victims of the Palisades fire home, Tulla and Bosco. A note that the photo of the dog is labelled Tulla, but it must actually be Bosco, given the coat colour and the SART officer's name on his vest matching Bosco's handler.

Dogs Prove Invaluable In Massive Search For Los Angeles Fire Victims

In the ashes of what was once a luxury home on Malibu's Pacific coast, dogs run from spot to spot, searching for victims of one of the huge wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles.

www.ndtv.com

 

[DS2021]

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection | CAL FIRE

www.fire.ca.gov

Down to 2 fires

 

[Dotta]

"The camper van that survived the flames:

Amazing picture shows how surfer's old VW remained untouched through LA fires.



'There is magic in that van,'
said Preston Martin, a 24-year-old surfboard maker who owned the vehicle until last summer and slept in it for a year while at college.

'It makes no sense why this happened.
It should have been toasted,
but here we are.
It’s so cool that it’s become this, like, beacon of hope'.

'Everything around it was toasted,
just destroyed.
And then here’s this bright blue shiny van,
sitting right there'."

Amazing picture shows how old VW camper van survived the LA fires

A Volkswagen camper van that improbably survived the Pacific Palisades fire, inexplicably standing unscathed amid the charred remains of burned-out homes, has been dubbed a 'beacon of hope'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[slowpoke]

Cleanup will take years
Palisades’ topography will make it challenging for cleanup crews to operate. Not flat terrain where can just bulldoze the whole area.

Water quality could be impacted
It is likely the entire water system is compromised.

Rebuilding in some of the same spots may difficult
Homeowners can’t expect to rebuild exactly same as before. 90% of burned homes were built before modern fire resistant regulations for new housing.

The psychological toll of rebuilding entire communities
Something like this brings “crushing stress” affecting physical, mental and emotional health.

The difficulties of rebuilding in the same spot after the LA wildfires subside

The Los Angeles wildfires have reduced entire communities to ash.

abcnews.go.com

 

[snooptroop88]

Million Dollar Listing's realtor Josh Altman did a fascinating interview where he talked about the post-fire cataclysm future of the Palisades. He said the majority of those in the area were underinsured. He feels they're going to take their insurance checks, sell their land, and move elsewhere. He said it's always going to be a vibrantly important neighborhood, but a whole new crowd will take over, with new faces. The way he explains it, it seems logical to me, but it's jmo. Nobody is going to want to experience something like this again, but especially if they're experiencing serious financial hardship and loss, too, as a result.

‘Million Dollar Listing’ star Josh Altman says up to 70% of Palisades residents will not return after devastating LA fires

“I just don’t see people going back there,” Josh Altman said.

nypost.com

 

[DS2021]

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection | CAL FIRE

www.fire.ca.gov

Down to 2 fires
View attachment 558457

Incidents | CAL FIRE

www.fire.ca.gov

 

[LadyL]

Incidents | CAL FIRE

www.fire.ca.gov

View attachment 558481

nice to see these numbers rising with no new fires popping up

 

[Charlot123]

I was afraid of mentioning it before, but LA houses magnificent museums.
I was scared for them. They are closed, but safe. Getty Villa did take preventive measures, including cleaning the vegetation.

Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles Impacted by Wildfires

The staff and collection remain safe.

www.townandcountrymag.com

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/las-getty-centers-art-safeguarded-palisades-fire-rages-2025-01-14/#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%2C%20Jan%2014%20(Reuters,as%20the%20Palisades%20fire%20spread.

LACMA is safe

Here are landmarks that were hurt or destroyed by fire

Landmarks and local institutions damaged or destroyed in LA fires: See maps

More than 50 historic landmarks have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires raging around Los Angeles.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Herat]

Million Dollar Listing's realtor Josh Altman did a fascinating interview where he talked about the post-fire cataclysm future of the Palisades. He said the majority of those in the area were underinsured. He feels they're going to take their insurance checks, sell their land, and move elsewhere. He said it's always going to be a vibrantly important neighborhood, but a whole new crowd will take over, with new faces. The way he explains it, it seems logical to me, but it's jmo. Nobody is going to want to experience something like this again, but especially if they're experiencing serious financial hardship and loss, too, as a result.

‘Million Dollar Listing’ star Josh Altman says up to 70% of Palisades residents will not return after devastating LA fires

“I just don’t see people going back there,” Josh Altman said.

nypost.com

Keep an eye on the real estate prices for homes in Orange County, especially anywhere west of the 405.

 

[iamshadow21]

Truly excellent article about the disabled experience around a disaster like this.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/18/health/disability-la-fire-evacuations-wellness/index.html

 

[Knox]

According to this guy, a shift in the weather pattern will begin after January 25th. Rain will come and run through April, which is a historical pattern we have seen in dry winter months - a wet spring.

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www.facebook.com

 

[Stunned]

According to this guy, a shift in the weather pattern will begin after January 25th. Rain will come and run through April, which is a historical pattern we have seen in dry winter months - a wet spring.

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How will that be for mud slides?