November 2018 CA wildfires

Anybody affected or know anybody affected?

Missing persons is 228+ and official death count is 56 and rising.

Any hipformers affected directly?

 

No, but we can see the smoke billowing from the hills in the distance off near Point Mugu Navy base. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Thomas fire from the previous year's December.

 

Only in superficial ways. I love Malibu, but I don't live there, nor could I afford to. And, let's be honest, living in any of the hills or canyons around here just isn't worth it.

 

i'm in the sacramento valley and saw the smoke coming from the fires. it's been too nasty to go out for days and the dog has cabin fever bad. i've been wearing a mask to take the dog out to do her business.
i'm a little weirded out by the fact that i almost moved to the area devastated by the Camp Fire, twice! once with people i met here on hf to a little plot of land to start a commune and then almost bought a house in Concow with my SO.

 

Yesterday, I read that 600 were missing, just in the Camp Fire I believe.

 

yes, but now they're saying it could be as high as 1000 people my heart is broken and i hope they are very wrong. I've driven all around that area and it's mostly retired people

 

That is horrible and just so sad.

 

That really is so terribly sad. I sure hope it's not that many. These fires have only been getting worse with each passing year. It's going to be a sad start to the new year soon I imagine.

My thoughts and best wishes with those affected.

 

Paradise, California is gone...

 

Lots of friends and family affected by this. Very sad. Also have a few firefighter friends working a ton of hours on these fires.

 

I had a hunch about how horrible this could be way back the day it started and I read a blurb about people having to run from their cars to escape fire. May they all RIP.

The death toll from the "Camp Fire" in Northern California has increased to 76 on Saturday while the number of people unaccounted for increased to 1,276. The blaze is now 55 percent contained after consuming more than 149,000 acres.

In Southern California, just outside of Los Angeles, the Woolsey Fire is 82 percent contained after burning 98,362 acres.

Three confirmed dead.

California wildfires: Nearly 1,300 unaccounted for in Camp Fire

 

This threat is so real living in the north west. Horrible to see it get to this point so soon.

"... tens of thousand were displaced in a matter of hours following the rapid incineration of the blue-collar town of Paradise, close to Chico, California. Eric Holthaus of Grist wrote of the fires, that they are “the most destructive to ever hit California and the deadliest wildfire in modern American history.”

Wildfires have also broken out in Southern California, causing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands, and as of November 16th, fires were also reported in the Santa Cruz Mountains, below the bay area. The impact of the fires has gone far beyond just the tragic lives lost, as now across Northern California, schools have been canceled and people have taken to wearing breathing masks or staying inside when possible.

It appears that the recent crisis was brought on by a mix of human caused climate change, environmental factors, and human error. Over the past several years, severe drought has been coupled with infestations of bark beetles, which has led to the deaths of over 129 million trees along large sections of eastern California, setting the stage for vast amounts of territory going up in flames." - Unfolding Crisis in California




"We place a strong emphasis on the emotional and physical needs of survivors. We currently have six working groups and a loose network of around 100 community members participating—but this number is increasing.

Our fundraising effort will allow us to be impactful right now. As well, we define “disaster” and “relief” broadly. Our immediate priority is to assist victims of the Camp Fire but recognize that our ideas, energy, resources, and organizational values will still be in demand down the road and in many contexts. By working with, listening to, and supporting impacted communities to lead their own recovery, especially their most vulnerable members, we build long-term, sustainable, and resilient communities.

The town of Paradise and the surrounding communities are generally low-income, with a largely elderly population. We will support these community members who are going to face a stiff headwind in their efforts to rebuild their lives from bureaucrats, developers, and institutions like FEMA.

Immediate needs for funds include, Kitchen and First Aid supplies (medical and emotional), Clean-up and Building materials, Organizing and working space(s), and more, but as this disaster is emergent we will be on the ground to listen to the voices of the impacted community to understand where we can best be of service." - Solidarity with Camp Fire Survivors

Donate HERE

 

Feels weird that Thanksgiving is only a few days away. So much to be thankful for, but 20 miles away, people have lost everything. It almost feels like it's in poor taste to celebrate this year.

Anyway, we donated a bunch of stuff. Packed a bunch of toothbrushes and toothpaste, and bottled water, jerky, bunch of stuff like that into gallon Ziploc bags. My wife took them to a collection point at her work. The whole situation is heartbreaking.

 

I donated at Vons. They have a charity at checkout thing.

 

Ralphs too. And my bank. Pretty much everywhere.

 

Wow the fires are terrible. So much worse than I thought. I'll try and donate somewhere, so many people displaced.

Thanks for posting the pictures. It adds a huge human element to things.

 

"As I drove towards Chico, California along a long stretch of Highway 99 from Sacramento, I didn’t know what to expect. My plan was to meet up with friends doing autonomous disaster relief outside of a Walmart in the aftermath of literally the most most deadly and devastating fire in US history.

Wallywood has been the name of a growing squatted autonomous encampment (there are several throughout the city) that grew up organically in the wake of the Camp Fire that began on November 8th.



Since Wallywood sprung up after the initial fires, the city, Walmart, government relief organizations, and the State have been trying to shut it down and push the people there off the squatted land. The first eviction scare came on November 18th, as various agencies began to slowly pull resources from the parking lot (like showers) while encouraging people to go to shelters across town or even in other cities. Despite this, people have kept coming.

The reasoning to refuse such an opportunity for a bed at a shelter for many was clear: they had no desire to be shipped off to another city while many still had not been allowed to go back up to Paradise or Magalia and shift through whatever was left of their homes. Moreover, on top of a rising death toll, hundreds are also still missing. On my first day at Wallywood, we helped one family put up an announcement on the community board looking for a two year old, who they hope was picked up by a family member and was simply lost in the evacuation." - Welcome to Wallywood: Dispatch from Chico #1

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we spoke with two people on the ground in Chico, California who are organizing in the wake of the devastating #CampFire that so far as left upwards of 90 people dead, several hundred missing, and thousands displaced and driven from their homes.

In the first portion of the podcast, we talk with one person who is involved in North Valley Mutual Aid, a group that formed directly after the fires to engage in a broad base of community organizing initiatives. Taking inspiration from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, NVMA is currently working on a variety of projects in response to the fires and is hosting meetings in the local community.

The second person speaks to the ongoing encampment of Camp Fire survivors who have taken over a plot of land next to WalMart. Since the start of the fire, people have formed a self-organized encampment and resisted attempts by various authorities to remove them. Currently, the encampment is growing, and we talk with our guest about how people are supporting it and ways in which local authorities have tried to attack it.

More Info: North Valley Mutual Aid Fund