Is it just me

[cilla4progress]

or is this the end of the world as we know it?

I'm on the west coast.

[Demovictory9]

1. it's like a volcano went off. ash raining down on orange county, sky orange.. don't even know where

the nearby fire is.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

18. Looked up from Costa Mesa..

And through the endless smoke we spotted an easily visible red sun .

Truly eery.

[electric_blue68]

2. It kinda looks like it Saw a lot of photos....

today with those orange and red daytime skies!
Holy Shite!

And a photo with small montains, or very big hills in the distance at night with fire reaching the mountain's ridge. Yikes

Stay safe you and yours, and friends!

[sprinkleeninow]

3. I am profoundly troubled in my soul. It seems as if darkness has descended upon our country and has

enveloped it.

I saw the numbers regarding the fires out west.

Between the fires and the demonic activity spread by workers of iniquity, I am trying my level best not to devolve into a depression. I reach a stage, then get pulled back. Not any semblance of normalcy, but at least not falling off the edge.

We must continue to do good and not succumb. It's difficult to keep thinking positive thoughts.

A scripture that 'keeps' me says in essence: "When the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises up a standard against him."

Safety, good health and peace be to you.💙

[cilla4progress]

27. Holding you

in my heart, sprinkle...

[sprinkleeninow]

31. You are so lovely. 💙 I need all the holding I can get presently.

[marlakay]

4. I know I was just beginning to accept

And deal with having less life because of covid and getting my happy back, then bang a fire right in my area. Now its too smoky to walk dog or leave house. Trump won't help any of us on the west coast.

We need Joe in charge now!

So unfair we pay federal taxes for help in times of emergency, how can he get away with only helping red states?

[cilla4progress]

20. Marlakay -

so relieved to hear from you! I was so worried with you in Medford! We are socked in here now, as well.

Yes, we at least had outdoors to save us. Distanced of course. That's even gone, for now.

I don't do well. Nauseous, as well as plugged up. I even get extra "sand" in my eyes as my system works to expel the toxins! This is indoors. Not going out, of course.

We have a couple air cleaners that we've bought for this purpose through the years. Both running plus the HVAC right now.

Stay well!

[marlakay]

23. My hubby made me sell our air purifiers

At garage sale last year against my advice, ugh! I had bought for when it gets smoky in summer. He didn't want to store them.

So i just ordered a new one from amazon.

Fire closest to me just got updated to 50% contained, now if the air gets better i will be happy. Right now it says 525 hazardous. I am not stepping outside until it comes down. Glad we went shopping right before this.

[cilla4progress]

26. Hang tough

and know that I am thinking of you!

[Cetacea]

5. It's only going to get worse every year

And just wait until we lose the arctic ice...

[cilla4progress]

21. yes

indeed

[Arthur_Frain]

6. I feel fine......

Or was that not the REM reference you had in mind?

[Sugarcoated]

7. I'm so sad for your beautiful state

Heartlessly cruel way to treat our fellow Americans

[BamaRefugee]

8. Here's the view from my balcony before bed

[BigmanPigman]

9. That looks pretty damn close.

Are you ready to evacuate?

[BamaRefugee]

11. It is close!

We have evacuation warning, but it hasn’t burned through the National Forest there yet, winds are blowing up the mountain so the fire is moving slowly, but it doubled in size just today.
Over 20,000 acres now.
My town border is about maybe 600 feet up the mountain. I’m maybe 1.5 miles south in town. I used to live up there with the bears and mountain lions, I hope they’re ok and aren’t forced down into town.
Not good when the 11 o’clock news opens with a shot of a house directly up your street!
This is the Bobcat fire, I’m in Monrovia.

[BigmanPigman]

13. You seem calm considering everything...

Have you been through this before? I have three friends who have lost homes in wildfires down here in San Diego.

[BamaRefugee]

15. Ive never been burned out thank God. But had many fires near me and earthquakes .

It’s best stay calm and vigilant. Actually if the fire gets down to the first houses, it can actually be fought. There will be lots of water and firefighters. Above that,it is really wilderness, no roads, super steep, firefighters can’t really go to work.
The mountainside is too steep for people or vehicles.
So we wait, the wind is our friend right now, but if Santa Ana winds start they will blow 40 to 50mph straight down onto town.
Going to bed and hope I can hear the cops driving around telling us to evacuate on the loudspeakers. But right now, it seems like tomorrow night will be the dangerous one.

[BigmanPigman]

16. Good night and good luck!

[BamaRefugee]

17. Thanks, we'll make it. The hardest thing is evacuating a cat! You wind up nursing your wounds

From where he turned your forearm into hamburger meat trying to get him into the carrier.

[lunatica]

29. With my cat

I learned to put him into his carrier with his hind legs first. If the carrier has a front door then stand it up so you can lower the cat feet first. Then cover the carrier with a blanket so the cat can’t see anything. That tends to calm them down a bit.

[BigmanPigman]

10. The strange thing is

in San Diego anyway, we've had an average summer as far as temps go and the rain amounts have been above average for the last two or three years. We have had only one big fire this week but our biggest fires have been the end of Oct (2003 and 2007) so there is plenty of time for more. The firefighters and everyone affiliated with fighting them have gotten better and have been learning how to fight the fires from a lot of experience. It has made a noticeable difference. Things are planned for way ahead of time, there is coordination and communication between all the agencies, etc.

[BamaRefugee]

12. From what I read this morning, La Nina weather effect has begun, worst case condition for fires.

It’s gonna stay very hot and very dry.
I know lots of people are saying the fires are due to climate change but La Niña and the wet El Niño weather cycles have been here for centuries.

[BigmanPigman]

14. I think Climate Change may even be effecting them too.

We were all ready for one a few years ago and wanted it but it sort of died out early. We were disappointed.

[marlakay]

24. So weird weather guy around here in Southern Oregon said

The La Nina pattern here will give us a wetter fall and winter when it gets going.

Its all so strange...

[BamaRefugee]

33. La Nina must act differently further North. Here in SoCal it usually means hotter and drier, and

also it correlates to more hurricanes in the Atlantic.
We shall see!

[NBachers]

19. Here's a photo of my work at mid-morning yesterday; I'm also posting a video I took of smoke-covered

San Francisco that I took today. Working outside is like smoking a pack of Chesterfield Kings every day.

Usually, from this point, you can see the entire San Francisco laid out before you, and beyond.

[cilla4progress]

22. Lost my home in a wildifre in 1994 -

this is on the eastern dry side of the Cascades
Many area fires since - we are in a rural valley bordering national forest.

At this point, should we get hit this year, we figure we will just stay put. Where would we go with 3 horses, 20 chickens, our dog and cats? Everything is burning around us (well, was on labor day weekend), and our fuel has been cleaned out by these recent fires!

Strange predicament. I used to be quick to evac - days ahead, once I understood, after our home burned. Now, in the PNW, one struggles to know where to go!

Climate refugees. That's the half million fleeing the fires in Oregon. No one is immune.

I'm really sorry the rest of the PNW has to share in this experience weve been living for many years on and off, now.

[marlakay]

25. Just glad your ok so far this year! Nt

[cilla4progress]

28. Yes,

thank you.

[Chili]

30. to all of you West Coasters...

Thinking of every one of you, praying for your health, and ability to fight off the smoke and toxic air, hoping all of your family, friends, neighbors and pets, too, are safe, or at least, able to get out if too near the front lines... really wishing the best safe outcome for all of you.

[Blecht]

32. It's my first time I've had to worry about losing my home to wildfire

It's pretty damn stressful here in Oregon right now. Still on level 1 (Get ready!), but level 2 (Get set!) is less than a mile away, and level 3 (Go now!) is less than 5 miles away.

I've been breathing in air with the worst quality in the world, and it's no fun. I feel for the half million people who have already evacuated in Oregon and all those who have done the same in California.

Everything that's happened this year makes it feel like the end of the world. All we need is the Cascadia subduction zone (https://pnsn.org/outreach/earthquakesources/csz) to do its thing and give us a magnitude 9 earthquake.

[BamaRefugee]

34. Don't jinx us with earthquake thoughts! I already lived through Northridge earthquake. My apartment

building withstood it, but I had 5 friends living with me for weeks, their homes were destroyed.