Singed?
24 October 2007
I just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know I’m okay. It’s strange, living in a state of emergency, although at times it’s hard to tell. I can see Malibu burning from the top of my office building, and everything to the South is a smokey haze. Otherwise, however, life for me is–for the most part–normal. You can see exactly where the fires are on the LA Times Fires Google Map.
A few people have asked how close I am to the action. No need to worry, I’m safe.
My house is about 10 miles from the nearest fire.
It does strike me a bit funny, however, that the Californians I speak to are completely unfazed. I’m terrified. In comparison to fires and earthquakes, I’d take tornadoes any day–an exclamation that elicits some very strange looks from the natives. Perhaps it’s a midwestern thing.
There also is quite an information dilemma with natural disasters that one would not expect in the information age. Leaders are scrambling, the firefighters are getting fatigued, and a million people are being evacuated. Where can a fit, intelligent twenty-five year old help? Good question. If there’s a need for support other than cash donations, it’s not an easy task to figure out where.
Also, if you’ve been living under a rock and have no idea what’s going on, check out the the Southern California Fires – 2007 photo pool at Flickr.
You’re right about the unfazed thing. Wildfires, mudslides and earthquakes are about as normal to a southern California as breast implants – you see them so frequently they fail to capture your attention*.
*It should be noted that breast implants have never captured my attention.