Thanks for caring, Nez. It means a lot. As you know, I am safe and praying for my neighbors. But I have low level dread in my stomach because the second shoe will drop in February when the rain comes. Mudslides.

yes. i hear you. glad you are hanging in there.

All of my primos and tios that live in SD have been evacuated. My friends and their families have been evacuated. We will see what comes of this.

I'm just east of the big Castaic fire. In no danger because the fire is burning west. Canyon roads are closed and freeways are jammed with evacuees.

"Homeland Security" and FEMA are here. To show they won't fuck this up like Katrina? We'll see about that.

molina, that's a vision that's been playing in my head, too, given all those in the area who might seem unsavory to certain right wing and/or racist mentalities.

glad you're okay.

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yeah, ihadira. massive displacement. this is crazy.

I live in Scripps Ranch...the area hardest hit by the Cedar Fire of 03...they made us evacuate yesterday afternoon and are only now letting people back in. It's been a crazy week here in SD!

man, i can only imagine. well, i'm glad you're okay, HP. yes, even you, you "free-market" loving foo'. ;)

In case you didn't know, Santa Clarita is full of White people. Maybe that's why FEMA showed up. So many blues eyes makes me feel alienated when I shop at Ralph's on McBean. No overt hostility, you understand, I just can't help but but notice. It's not like where I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley.

A psychiatrist I once met, said I was "paranoid". If you have a justifiable fear of Police and other authority, due to personal experience I don't think that is paranoia. According to him all people of color in the US experiencing racism are "paranoid" because the majority means you no harm. This doesn't even count male on female violence. If you are a man you don't walk around in fear of the other half of the human race.

Uh...sure.

:-) Thanks!

Thanks for posting on this, you bring a caring touch to a scary time. Everything is shut down in the city, no school for the kids at least until next week, no work at any of the universities either so I'm home all week.
It's been non stop news about the fire 24/7 which in a way is comforting yet overkill.
The reason rescue is so organized is that SD has been through this just recently (fours years ago), and New Orleans had never suffered a Katrina
before, it's totally different. No comparison.
Keep sending good vibes to us. Will keep you updated.
We are not personally in danger, too much has to burn before the fire gets to us.On the other hand it's a fast moving fire so we can'y get too comfortable.
Anyway, we're OK for now.

I'm okay -- right next to Santiago fire, worried the first day when it moved south-southwest, but it changed to south-east and is now actually going north and east. And la molina: don't feel left out: the OC fire went out of control because we couldn't get our equipment back, nor get ahold of anyone elses for three days, so now instead of having contained the fire in the first couple hundred acres the first day (which we could have done given the equipment) it's now out of control and headed into Cleveland Nat'l forest, where it will burn for days if not weeks. It also got into a bunch of ancient canyons, and took out houses 50-150 years old (hardly "new" development). Makes me furious.

But I'm okay.

thanks for checking in, leesee and BEG. we worry about our amig@s in califas.

Leesee, please do keep us updated.

BEG, that is infuriating. and sad. i hate to hear this.

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la molina, i agree! not paranoia! just being wise. and careful.

tho i wouldnt assume just SO quickly what males fear and don't fear. i know you are right...women live in a fear of being attacked or overwhelmed that most men cant understand. but some can. and i'm glad you are okay, tigerlily rock star.

Women often walk around in fear of being attacked by other men. For that matter, so do men. /snark.

i dont understand the joke, BEG. are you saying men do not? (sorry)

Sorry -- I'm saying women walk around in fear of some men attacking them, and men also walk around in fear -- not of WOMEN attacking them but ALSO of men...

Not so much a joke as an ironic or snarky observation... You know how some people like to "flip" things in order to make light of it. This one doesn't really flip.

okay, i see. sorry! i wasn't reading it clearly. i get you now.

With six and seven figure homes to protect and many of the victims of this catastrophe largely affluent and white, there is no reason for them to mess up like they did in Katrina. I do agree that one of the posters was right in saying that San Diego may be well prepared for the simple fact that the area must contend with natural disasters more frequently than New Orleans. But still, in the case of New Orleans that disaster had been predicted at least twenty years in advance. I was made privy to the potential of this happening during my time there between 1999-2003. My father although he lives in Georgia was saying that people were aware of this very thing possibly happening when he was a younger man and he's around his mid 50's.

With all that said, I don't wish a disaster on NOBODY and wish it did not happen at all!