The Pacific Northwest faces its own share of natural disasters, so this post is not written in smug safety. We get warnings enough of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis that the historical record promises us. When we look on the horizon we can see the sleeping volcanoes. The wet and windy winter storms we’ve been experiencing recently are the norm and occasionally reach the point of downing many trees, causing mudslides, but only really reaching the point of mass inconvenience and occasional danger. Not like the fires raging in SoCal, which seem to be almost as regular a feature. My sister, who professionally maps this kind of stuff, has the resources for those who want to track events.
Looks like an excellent resource for those people who need it. Hope your sister is not in the midst of those terrifying winds of smoke and fire. I actually haven’t been watching anything today after my first glimpse this morning, of two alpacas in a smokey field. They looked stunned. I hope all the animals are okay.
I’ve avoided watching anything on TV — reading blog accounts of residents watching their homes burn or waiting to see if they would burn is enough. And I know I’m not the only one who found watching TV footage of suddenly homeless frightened pets during Katrina unbearable, so I know my limits with this kind of stuff.
My sister seems to be fine. She mentioned getting fed ice cream and pizza at her consulting job yesterday.