Palisades Fire - Los Angeles

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Pp here. I’m also in deep fear of what happens under dry CA conditions over the next 4 years if federal aid is withheld, as Trump promised on the campaign trail.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/03/helene-trump-politics-natural-disaster-00182419

In 2020 Trump signed a bill that would have diverted excess water from Northern California to LA specifically to boost the reservoirs for fire fighting purposes. The state and advocacy groups, including Newsom, battled him using the pretext that it'd hurt the salmon among others. That is the origin of the disagreement of Trump and Newsom. Unfortunately, it is true, so for all of his childish petulant screeds in a manner that only Trump can muster, Trump actually does have a point here. Right now California is not really governed to serve the safety and wellbeing of its people. Its programs and policies are bled by a thousand cuts through demands by so many advocacy groups wanting to protect/preserve/champion equity for this and that.

Wildfires are a fact of life in California and the dangers of a massive wildfire promising this level and even greater destructions has always been there, yet what we saw was a strange lack of advance preparation despite plenty of warnings that the conditions were ripe. Serious questions have to be asked about it. And I would not be upset if the Trump administration demanded LA and the California state governments to explain why they weren't better prepared or to outline new policies and laws that guaranteed a basic level of preparedness for worst case situations before releasing any new federal aid to the state. Americans cannot be called to pour more money (billions and billions) after bad if no basic changes are being made at the ground level. To use as one small but critical example, so many wildfires (fortunately mostly doused in time) are started by homeless people yet California has seemingly done little to address the homeless problem or is, at least, very slow to do anything meaningful.

Legitimate questions need to be asked about the competence of California governing class.

I’m OP worried about Trump. I agree questions need to be asked re the response to the current fire. That said, the videos of Santa Ana winds and the idea that entire neighborhoods in Southern California should all be able to hose their houses while fire fighters are using hydrants and having enough water for it all seems very hard - if not impossible - to be prepared for. Also, I don’t know that water should be diverted from Northern CA to southern CA and / or farmlands. This is not a problem unique to CA - red states have plenty of wildfires (Alaska, Idaho etc) and also have cities that are likely to face severe water problems regardless of whether a fire ever whips through neighborhoods (eg Phoenix, Las Vegas).

My understanding is that Trump didn’t sign a water diversion bill (ie no such bill existed) but that there have been other water fights. By all means there should be investigations into what happened - Newsom has said as much - but we also need federal aid to continue in January. Calling for an investigation to occur and be concluded as a condition of aid is a dangerous president. For instance, I suspect many more people would have died had a completed investigation into the Texas powergrid failure been a condition for federal aid then, as is true of other emergency responses (hurricanes, forest fires etc). The precedent is that Trump has wanted to withhold disaster funding to CA - and he repeated this on the campaign trail - as a stick, but other states (to my Knowledge) haven’t had similar sticks as conditional requirements in their emergencies.

The whole debate reminds me of the gun reform arguments - after a mass shouting there are a lot of statements that it’s not the right time for policy and help is needed now, but then it never is the right time for policy because help is always needed by that standard given the number of shootings in this country. Balancing emergency response and care with policy reform is needed, but there does have to be some triage.

Agreed. The partisan targeting of California when red states have been equally or even more unprepared is really vile and frankly immoral.

This a thousand times. It’s vile and evil

+1 Yes, and there are many DCUM threads in which posters bash red states. Vile and evil no matter who does it.

The difference is that this time it is red state politicians targeting Californians who have lost their homes. That is not something blue politicians have done.

Think what you want, but blue politicians are not above reproach either.

I have not seen a specific example of blue state politicians holding (or pushing publicly to hold) aid hostage like red state politicians are currently doing.

Example:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

And I am no partisan Democrat. I’m a moderate independent. But honesty is important here. I have never seen that behavior from Democrat politicians towards the victims of disasters.

This is one moron and not a movement.

The point remains that this not something I have ever seen Democratic politicians, even the most unhinged and crazy of them, ever do. They simply do not target the victims of natural disasters. I have only ever seen that behavior from Republican politicians, and it is appalling.

North Carolina anyone?

Democrats withheld emergency relief from NC flood victims? I don't recall this.

Biden said fed dollars will cover 100% of initial firefighting costs in CA. Have similar promises been made to cover NC flooding response?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Person from Malibu here. Some of the tips for evacuating here are just laughable? Packing boxes of Christmas ornaments? Really?

In bad wildfires, you want to be out as soon as possible after the evacuation call. It's not just traffic you are worried about in this situation-- You do not want to get stuck when the fire reaches the road or get trapped when visibility becomes so poor from smoke you can't drive safely, or when the high winds knock trees into the road. Look at the people trying to flee the Camp Fire who were killed in Paradise, CA. This is particularly critical in these fire zones because many neighborhoods that are in the hills of CA are one-way-in/one-way-out due to the geography so waiting too long can result in being trapped.

If you have time to do one thing, shut off the gas to your house before you flee. This could prevent some damage to your home by reducing the risk of an explosion, or from a gas line that continues to burn. You should also shut off electricity, but a lot of times the electricity is already turned off due to high winds.

I thought that was so ridiculous too (person from Ventura who didn't have much time to evacuate before Thomas fire came over the hill into our neighborhood within minutes). Along with - call friend with a trailer. How f'd up is that as people are frantically trying to evacuate an area, your friend is going to be driving into the neighborhood with a big *ss trailer. We were too busy running around at midnight banging on neighbors doors to make sure everyone was awake so they could evacuate.

How many times do I have to explain this? After our first evacuation with no plans and in total panic I reorganized and rearranged some things in my home. I am not telling people to pack whatever their precious items are during evacuation. I have a prioritized list of pre packed items and depending on time we could walk out with nothing, our 2 minute box, or some additional things. I don’t call my friend with a trailer. I explained that too. I have prepacked a FEW Christmas ornaments. I have prepacked a few pieces of family china and crystal that are 200 years old. I have a way to quickly pack clothes, studies. The whole plan exists to remove having to think and make decisions so you can get out quickly, hopefully with some of your family’s things, before the order, and the only thing you have to think about is the fire or other disaster that’s causing you to evacuate. I also posted about coordinating and planning with neighbors.

I have and am supporting my friends who lost literally everything and the level of trauma is extremely high. For the kids it’s almost unbearable.

I’ve basically reached the conclusion that it is impossible to have constructive conversations on DCUM because inevitably people start attacking you after failing to actually read the post and just make crap up.

NP and I am sorry people are being so rude to you, especially since you have experienced an evacuation (and more than once if I remember correctly from you original post). Someone asked you what you've done to plan ahead, and you shared. You did not present it as a directive to others and clearly stated what you packed was important to you - others may choose something else or approach the whole situation differently. You also made it clear you have things set based on the amount of time you have to evacuate. I thought it was helpful and an interesting perspective. I have not experienced an evacuation and appreciated your post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Person from Malibu here. Some of the tips for evacuating here are just laughable? Packing boxes of Christmas ornaments? Really?

In bad wildfires, you want to be out as soon as possible after the evacuation call. It's not just traffic you are worried about in this situation-- You do not want to get stuck when the fire reaches the road or get trapped when visibility becomes so poor from smoke you can't drive safely, or when the high winds knock trees into the road. Look at the people trying to flee the Camp Fire who were killed in Paradise, CA. This is particularly critical in these fire zones because many neighborhoods that are in the hills of CA are one-way-in/one-way-out due to the geography so waiting too long can result in being trapped.

If you have time to do one thing, shut off the gas to your house before you flee. This could prevent some damage to your home by reducing the risk of an explosion, or from a gas line that continues to burn. You should also shut off electricity, but a lot of times the electricity is already turned off due to high winds.

I thought that was so ridiculous too (person from Ventura who didn't have much time to evacuate before Thomas fire came over the hill into our neighborhood within minutes). Along with - call friend with a trailer. How f'd up is that as people are frantically trying to evacuate an area, your friend is going to be driving into the neighborhood with a big *ss trailer. We were too busy running around at midnight banging on neighbors doors to make sure everyone was awake so they could evacuate.

How many times do I have to explain this? After our first evacuation with no plans and in total panic I reorganized and rearranged some things in my home. I am not telling people to pack whatever their precious items are during evacuation. I have a prioritized list of pre packed items and depending on time we could walk out with nothing, our 2 minute box, or some additional things. I don’t call my friend with a trailer. I explained that too. I have prepacked a FEW Christmas ornaments. I have prepacked a few pieces of family china and crystal that are 200 years old. I have a way to quickly pack clothes, studies. The whole plan exists to remove having to think and make decisions so you can get out quickly, hopefully with some of your family’s things, before the order, and the only thing you have to think about is the fire or other disaster that’s causing you to evacuate. I also posted about coordinating and planning with neighbors.

I have and am supporting my friends who lost literally everything and the level of trauma is extremely high. For the kids it’s almost unbearable.

I’ve basically reached the conclusion that it is impossible to have constructive conversations on DCUM because inevitably people start attacking you after failing to actually read the post and just make crap up.

Many of us appreciated your post! This is DCUM where some posters seem to enjoy being rude and intentionally obtuse, so please just ignore the mean-spirited comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pp here. I’m also in deep fear of what happens under dry CA conditions over the next 4 years if federal aid is withheld, as Trump promised on the campaign trail.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/03/helene-trump-politics-natural-disaster-00182419

In 2020 Trump signed a bill that would have diverted excess water from Northern California to LA specifically to boost the reservoirs for fire fighting purposes. The state and advocacy groups, including Newsom, battled him using the pretext that it'd hurt the salmon among others. That is the origin of the disagreement of Trump and Newsom. Unfortunately, it is true, so for all of his childish petulant screeds in a manner that only Trump can muster, Trump actually does have a point here. Right now California is not really governed to serve the safety and wellbeing of its people. Its programs and policies are bled by a thousand cuts through demands by so many advocacy groups wanting to protect/preserve/champion equity for this and that.

Wildfires are a fact of life in California and the dangers of a massive wildfire promising this level and even greater destructions has always been there, yet what we saw was a strange lack of advance preparation despite plenty of warnings that the conditions were ripe. Serious questions have to be asked about it. And I would not be upset if the Trump administration demanded LA and the California state governments to explain why they weren't better prepared or to outline new policies and laws that guaranteed a basic level of preparedness for worst case situations before releasing any new federal aid to the state. Americans cannot be called to pour more money (billions and billions) after bad if no basic changes are being made at the ground level. To use as one small but critical example, so many wildfires (fortunately mostly doused in time) are started by homeless people yet California has seemingly done little to address the homeless problem or is, at least, very slow to do anything meaningful.

Legitimate questions need to be asked about the competence of California governing class.

I’m OP worried about Trump. I agree questions need to be asked re the response to the current fire. That said, the videos of Santa Ana winds and the idea that entire neighborhoods in Southern California should all be able to hose their houses while fire fighters are using hydrants and having enough water for it all seems very hard - if not impossible - to be prepared for. Also, I don’t know that water should be diverted from Northern CA to southern CA and / or farmlands. This is not a problem unique to CA - red states have plenty of wildfires (Alaska, Idaho etc) and also have cities that are likely to face severe water problems regardless of whether a fire ever whips through neighborhoods (eg Phoenix, Las Vegas).

My understanding is that Trump didn’t sign a water diversion bill (ie no such bill existed) but that there have been other water fights. By all means there should be investigations into what happened - Newsom has said as much - but we also need federal aid to continue in January. Calling for an investigation to occur and be concluded as a condition of aid is a dangerous president. For instance, I suspect many more people would have died had a completed investigation into the Texas powergrid failure been a condition for federal aid then, as is true of other emergency responses (hurricanes, forest fires etc). The precedent is that Trump has wanted to withhold disaster funding to CA - and he repeated this on the campaign trail - as a stick, but other states (to my Knowledge) haven’t had similar sticks as conditional requirements in their emergencies.

The whole debate reminds me of the gun reform arguments - after a mass shouting there are a lot of statements that it’s not the right time for policy and help is needed now, but then it never is the right time for policy because help is always needed by that standard given the number of shootings in this country. Balancing emergency response and care with policy reform is needed, but there does have to be some triage.

Agreed. The partisan targeting of California when red states have been equally or even more unprepared is really vile and frankly immoral.

This a thousand times. It’s vile and evil

+1 Yes, and there are many DCUM threads in which posters bash red states. Vile and evil no matter who does it.

The difference is that this time it is red state politicians targeting Californians who have lost their homes. That is not something blue politicians have done.

Think what you want, but blue politicians are not above reproach either.

I have not seen a specific example of blue state politicians holding (or pushing publicly to hold) aid hostage like red state politicians are currently doing.

Example:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

And I am no partisan Democrat. I’m a moderate independent. But honesty is important here. I have never seen that behavior from Democrat politicians towards the victims of disasters.

This is one moron and not a movement.

The point remains that this not something I have ever seen Democratic politicians, even the most unhinged and crazy of them, ever do. They simply do not target the victims of natural disasters. I have only ever seen that behavior from Republican politicians, and it is appalling.

North Carolina anyone?

Democrats withheld emergency relief from NC flood victims? I don't recall this.

Because it didn't happen. Republicans are LIARS.

Ask the Republicans in Congress why they didn't fund the full amount of relief that Biden was seeking for NC.
https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-11-19/they-need-help-now-biden-seeks-100-billion-from-congress-after-nc-lawmakers-push
"The Biden administration had asked Congress for about $40 billion for the relief fund but the bill eventually passed provides a lower amount, $29 billion."

[Anonymous]

If you have 10 minutes to evacuate due to a wildfire or natural disaster, here’s a list of essentials to prepare. Pack in a backpack or rolling bag, store in an accessible place, and update supplies every 6 months.

Critical Actions
• Digitize key documents (IDs, passport, SS card, vital records, insurance policies, prescriptions)
• Store original key docs in ziplock bag to grab & go

Emergency Kit Essentials
• Small cash denominations
• Spare car keys
• N95 masks or respirators
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First-aid kit
• Multi-tool & whistle (to call for help when needed)
• Portable phone chargers/power banks
• 1 gallon of water per person
• Non-perishable food (granola bars, canned items with manual opener)
• Sturdy shoes, extra socks, and weather-appropriate clothing
• Thermal blanket or lightweight emergency blanket
• Hand sanitizer, wet wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste

For Kids & Pets
• Comfort items for kids (toys, books)
• Pet food, water, leash, carrier, and medication

Other Essentials
• Battery-powered radio
• Goggles for eye protection

Everything else .. let go of the material things. If something is that important to you, like Jewlery, open a safe deposit bank and store there
• Digitize and save in the cloud - letters, kids art, photos..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pp here. I’m also in deep fear of what happens under dry CA conditions over the next 4 years if federal aid is withheld, as Trump promised on the campaign trail.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/03/helene-trump-politics-natural-disaster-00182419

In 2020 Trump signed a bill that would have diverted excess water from Northern California to LA specifically to boost the reservoirs for fire fighting purposes. The state and advocacy groups, including Newsom, battled him using the pretext that it'd hurt the salmon among others. That is the origin of the disagreement of Trump and Newsom. Unfortunately, it is true, so for all of his childish petulant screeds in a manner that only Trump can muster, Trump actually does have a point here. Right now California is not really governed to serve the safety and wellbeing of its people. Its programs and policies are bled by a thousand cuts through demands by so many advocacy groups wanting to protect/preserve/champion equity for this and that.

Wildfires are a fact of life in California and the dangers of a massive wildfire promising this level and even greater destructions has always been there, yet what we saw was a strange lack of advance preparation despite plenty of warnings that the conditions were ripe. Serious questions have to be asked about it. And I would not be upset if the Trump administration demanded LA and the California state governments to explain why they weren't better prepared or to outline new policies and laws that guaranteed a basic level of preparedness for worst case situations before releasing any new federal aid to the state. Americans cannot be called to pour more money (billions and billions) after bad if no basic changes are being made at the ground level. To use as one small but critical example, so many wildfires (fortunately mostly doused in time) are started by homeless people yet California has seemingly done little to address the homeless problem or is, at least, very slow to do anything meaningful.

Legitimate questions need to be asked about the competence of California governing class.

I’m OP worried about Trump. I agree questions need to be asked re the response to the current fire. That said, the videos of Santa Ana winds and the idea that entire neighborhoods in Southern California should all be able to hose their houses while fire fighters are using hydrants and having enough water for it all seems very hard - if not impossible - to be prepared for. Also, I don’t know that water should be diverted from Northern CA to southern CA and / or farmlands. This is not a problem unique to CA - red states have plenty of wildfires (Alaska, Idaho etc) and also have cities that are likely to face severe water problems regardless of whether a fire ever whips through neighborhoods (eg Phoenix, Las Vegas).

My understanding is that Trump didn’t sign a water diversion bill (ie no such bill existed) but that there have been other water fights. By all means there should be investigations into what happened - Newsom has said as much - but we also need federal aid to continue in January. Calling for an investigation to occur and be concluded as a condition of aid is a dangerous president. For instance, I suspect many more people would have died had a completed investigation into the Texas powergrid failure been a condition for federal aid then, as is true of other emergency responses (hurricanes, forest fires etc). The precedent is that Trump has wanted to withhold disaster funding to CA - and he repeated this on the campaign trail - as a stick, but other states (to my Knowledge) haven’t had similar sticks as conditional requirements in their emergencies.

The whole debate reminds me of the gun reform arguments - after a mass shouting there are a lot of statements that it’s not the right time for policy and help is needed now, but then it never is the right time for policy because help is always needed by that standard given the number of shootings in this country. Balancing emergency response and care with policy reform is needed, but there does have to be some triage.

Agreed. The partisan targeting of California when red states have been equally or even more unprepared is really vile and frankly immoral.

This a thousand times. It’s vile and evil

+1 Yes, and there are many DCUM threads in which posters bash red states. Vile and evil no matter who does it.

The difference is that this time it is red state politicians targeting Californians who have lost their homes. That is not something blue politicians have done.

Think what you want, but blue politicians are not above reproach either.

I have not seen a specific example of blue state politicians holding (or pushing publicly to hold) aid hostage like red state politicians are currently doing.

Example:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

And I am no partisan Democrat. I’m a moderate independent. But honesty is important here. I have never seen that behavior from Democrat politicians towards the victims of disasters.

This is one moron and not a movement.

The point remains that this not something I have ever seen Democratic politicians, even the most unhinged and crazy of them, ever do. They simply do not target the victims of natural disasters. I have only ever seen that behavior from Republican politicians, and it is appalling.

Really? Some people in North Carolina would like a word with you.

Please post a news article showing a Democratic politician doing this:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

To victims of the NC floods.

I genuinely want to know, because I am an independent and view this as a significant gap between the parties at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Person from Malibu here. Some of the tips for evacuating here are just laughable? Packing boxes of Christmas ornaments? Really?

In bad wildfires, you want to be out as soon as possible after the evacuation call. It's not just traffic you are worried about in this situation-- You do not want to get stuck when the fire reaches the road or get trapped when visibility becomes so poor from smoke you can't drive safely, or when the high winds knock trees into the road. Look at the people trying to flee the Camp Fire who were killed in Paradise, CA. This is particularly critical in these fire zones because many neighborhoods that are in the hills of CA are one-way-in/one-way-out due to the geography so waiting too long can result in being trapped.

If you have time to do one thing, shut off the gas to your house before you flee. This could prevent some damage to your home by reducing the risk of an explosion, or from a gas line that continues to burn. You should also shut off electricity, but a lot of times the electricity is already turned off due to high winds.

I thought that was so ridiculous too (person from Ventura who didn't have much time to evacuate before Thomas fire came over the hill into our neighborhood within minutes). Along with - call friend with a trailer. How f'd up is that as people are frantically trying to evacuate an area, your friend is going to be driving into the neighborhood with a big *ss trailer. We were too busy running around at midnight banging on neighbors doors to make sure everyone was awake so they could evacuate.

How many times do I have to explain this? After our first evacuation with no plans and in total panic I reorganized and rearranged some things in my home. I am not telling people to pack whatever their precious items are during evacuation. I have a prioritized list of pre packed items and depending on time we could walk out with nothing, our 2 minute box, or some additional things. I don’t call my friend with a trailer. I explained that too. I have prepacked a FEW Christmas ornaments. I have prepacked a few pieces of family china and crystal that are 200 years old. I have a way to quickly pack clothes, studies. The whole plan exists to remove having to think and make decisions so you can get out quickly, hopefully with some of your family’s things, before the order, and the only thing you have to think about is the fire or other disaster that’s causing you to evacuate. I also posted about coordinating and planning with neighbors.

I have and am supporting my friends who lost literally everything and the level of trauma is extremely high. For the kids it’s almost unbearable.

I’ve basically reached the conclusion that it is impossible to have constructive conversations on DCUM because inevitably people start attacking you after failing to actually read the post and just make crap up.

NP and I am sorry people are being so rude to you, especially since you have experienced an evacuation (and more than once if I remember correctly from you original post). Someone asked you what you've done to plan ahead, and you shared. You did not present it as a directive to others and clearly stated what you packed was important to you - others may choose something else or approach the whole situation differently. You also made it clear you have things set based on the amount of time you have to evacuate. I thought it was helpful and an interesting perspective. I have not experienced an evacuation and appreciated your post.

Evacuated 3x 😬
Thanks to you and other PPs. I don’t know why the rudeness is getting to me so much!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Person from Malibu here. Some of the tips for evacuating here are just laughable? Packing boxes of Christmas ornaments? Really?

In bad wildfires, you want to be out as soon as possible after the evacuation call. It's not just traffic you are worried about in this situation-- You do not want to get stuck when the fire reaches the road or get trapped when visibility becomes so poor from smoke you can't drive safely, or when the high winds knock trees into the road. Look at the people trying to flee the Camp Fire who were killed in Paradise, CA. This is particularly critical in these fire zones because many neighborhoods that are in the hills of CA are one-way-in/one-way-out due to the geography so waiting too long can result in being trapped.

If you have time to do one thing, shut off the gas to your house before you flee. This could prevent some damage to your home by reducing the risk of an explosion, or from a gas line that continues to burn. You should also shut off electricity, but a lot of times the electricity is already turned off due to high winds.

I thought that was so ridiculous too (person from Ventura who didn't have much time to evacuate before Thomas fire came over the hill into our neighborhood within minutes). Along with - call friend with a trailer. How f'd up is that as people are frantically trying to evacuate an area, your friend is going to be driving into the neighborhood with a big *ss trailer. We were too busy running around at midnight banging on neighbors doors to make sure everyone was awake so they could evacuate.

How many times do I have to explain this? After our first evacuation with no plans and in total panic I reorganized and rearranged some things in my home. I am not telling people to pack whatever their precious items are during evacuation. I have a prioritized list of pre packed items and depending on time we could walk out with nothing, our 2 minute box, or some additional things. I don’t call my friend with a trailer. I explained that too. I have prepacked a FEW Christmas ornaments. I have prepacked a few pieces of family china and crystal that are 200 years old. I have a way to quickly pack clothes, studies. The whole plan exists to remove having to think and make decisions so you can get out quickly, hopefully with some of your family’s things, before the order, and the only thing you have to think about is the fire or other disaster that’s causing you to evacuate. I also posted about coordinating and planning with neighbors.

I have and am supporting my friends who lost literally everything and the level of trauma is extremely high. For the kids it’s almost unbearable.

I’ve basically reached the conclusion that it is impossible to have constructive conversations on DCUM because inevitably people start attacking you after failing to actually read the post and just make crap up.

NP and I am sorry people are being so rude to you, especially since you have experienced an evacuation (and more than once if I remember correctly from you original post). Someone asked you what you've done to plan ahead, and you shared. You did not present it as a directive to others and clearly stated what you packed was important to you - others may choose something else or approach the whole situation differently. You also made it clear you have things set based on the amount of time you have to evacuate. I thought it was helpful and an interesting perspective. I have not experienced an evacuation and appreciated your post.

+1

[Anonymous]

Sorry this poster is moronic. Others are laughing at the packing Christmas ornaments because she wrote specifically:

-The front closet also has flat boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, scissors that are not used for anything else. They are there primarily for art and books.

-I have packed a box with one or two pieces of each of the multiple sets of china and crystal that are family things.

-I have a packed box of our most treasured Christmas things.

Then adds "We know what fits in our vehicles and what we can add if our friend comes with a trailer."

Time to wrap books and art in bubble wrap, Christmas ornaments and china? It is a ridiculous list.

No where does it list- pack snacks, water, and blankets because you might get stuck and not be able to fully leave or get caught in a rush of people leaving the neighborhood in the middle of the night and have to sleep in your car.

No where does it say check on elderly neighbors. Instead, the list includes getting a trailer to come take more ridiculous stuff like china and books. And while the china is being packed the kids are left to their own devices trying to shove things into a trash bag by themselves potentially in the dark because there is a good chance their won't be power.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry this poster is moronic. Others are laughing at the packing Christmas ornaments because she wrote specifically:

-The front closet also has flat boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, scissors that are not used for anything else. They are there primarily for art and books.

-I have packed a box with one or two pieces of each of the multiple sets of china and crystal that are family things.

-I have a packed box of our most treasured Christmas things.

Then adds "We know what fits in our vehicles and what we can add if our friend comes with a trailer."

Time to wrap books and art in bubble wrap, Christmas ornaments and china? It is a ridiculous list.

No where does it list- pack snacks, water, and blankets because you might get stuck and not be able to fully leave or get caught in a rush of people leaving the neighborhood in the middle of the night and have to sleep in your car.

No where does it say check on elderly neighbors. Instead, the list includes getting a trailer to come take more ridiculous stuff like china and books. And while the china is being packed the kids are left to their own devices trying to shove things into a trash bag by themselves potentially in the dark because there is a good chance their won't be power.

I don't know why anyone would snark at someone's specific list and circumstances. I personally have teens, so they can and would want to pack their own things. I'd definitely bring a few family heirlooms relatives cared to carry through many decades/centuries. Why would you not IF you had time? Obviously that poster would just leave if flames were at the door. Snacks take five seconds to grab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry this poster is moronic. Others are laughing at the packing Christmas ornaments because she wrote specifically:

-The front closet also has flat boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, scissors that are not used for anything else. They are there primarily for art and books.

-I have packed a box with one or two pieces of each of the multiple sets of china and crystal that are family things.

-I have a packed box of our most treasured Christmas things.

Then adds "We know what fits in our vehicles and what we can add if our friend comes with a trailer."

Time to wrap books and art in bubble wrap, Christmas ornaments and china? It is a ridiculous list.

No where does it list- pack snacks, water, and blankets because you might get stuck and not be able to fully leave or get caught in a rush of people leaving the neighborhood in the middle of the night and have to sleep in your car.

No where does it say check on elderly neighbors. Instead, the list includes getting a trailer to come take more ridiculous stuff like china and books. And while the china is being packed the kids are left to their own devices trying to shove things into a trash bag by themselves potentially in the dark because there is a good chance their won't be power.

Oh for Pete’s sake. I hope you are not this ridiculously unimaginative, dim, and rigid in real life. The rest of us, with apparently more developed critical thinking skills than you, understand that PPs list is not a recipe for baking a delicate soufflé that cannot be varied by a single step and it is not a step-by-step instruction manual for dismantling a nuclear reactor core that has an exact time frame in which steps must be educated.

I suppose if you lack the ability to vary suggestions to your own circumstances, PPs list would not be helpful to you. That is indeed likely to be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pp here. I’m also in deep fear of what happens under dry CA conditions over the next 4 years if federal aid is withheld, as Trump promised on the campaign trail.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/03/helene-trump-politics-natural-disaster-00182419

In 2020 Trump signed a bill that would have diverted excess water from Northern California to LA specifically to boost the reservoirs for fire fighting purposes. The state and advocacy groups, including Newsom, battled him using the pretext that it'd hurt the salmon among others. That is the origin of the disagreement of Trump and Newsom. Unfortunately, it is true, so for all of his childish petulant screeds in a manner that only Trump can muster, Trump actually does have a point here. Right now California is not really governed to serve the safety and wellbeing of its people. Its programs and policies are bled by a thousand cuts through demands by so many advocacy groups wanting to protect/preserve/champion equity for this and that.

Wildfires are a fact of life in California and the dangers of a massive wildfire promising this level and even greater destructions has always been there, yet what we saw was a strange lack of advance preparation despite plenty of warnings that the conditions were ripe. Serious questions have to be asked about it. And I would not be upset if the Trump administration demanded LA and the California state governments to explain why they weren't better prepared or to outline new policies and laws that guaranteed a basic level of preparedness for worst case situations before releasing any new federal aid to the state. Americans cannot be called to pour more money (billions and billions) after bad if no basic changes are being made at the ground level. To use as one small but critical example, so many wildfires (fortunately mostly doused in time) are started by homeless people yet California has seemingly done little to address the homeless problem or is, at least, very slow to do anything meaningful.

Legitimate questions need to be asked about the competence of California governing class.

I’m OP worried about Trump. I agree questions need to be asked re the response to the current fire. That said, the videos of Santa Ana winds and the idea that entire neighborhoods in Southern California should all be able to hose their houses while fire fighters are using hydrants and having enough water for it all seems very hard - if not impossible - to be prepared for. Also, I don’t know that water should be diverted from Northern CA to southern CA and / or farmlands. This is not a problem unique to CA - red states have plenty of wildfires (Alaska, Idaho etc) and also have cities that are likely to face severe water problems regardless of whether a fire ever whips through neighborhoods (eg Phoenix, Las Vegas).

My understanding is that Trump didn’t sign a water diversion bill (ie no such bill existed) but that there have been other water fights. By all means there should be investigations into what happened - Newsom has said as much - but we also need federal aid to continue in January. Calling for an investigation to occur and be concluded as a condition of aid is a dangerous president. For instance, I suspect many more people would have died had a completed investigation into the Texas powergrid failure been a condition for federal aid then, as is true of other emergency responses (hurricanes, forest fires etc). The precedent is that Trump has wanted to withhold disaster funding to CA - and he repeated this on the campaign trail - as a stick, but other states (to my Knowledge) haven’t had similar sticks as conditional requirements in their emergencies.

The whole debate reminds me of the gun reform arguments - after a mass shouting there are a lot of statements that it’s not the right time for policy and help is needed now, but then it never is the right time for policy because help is always needed by that standard given the number of shootings in this country. Balancing emergency response and care with policy reform is needed, but there does have to be some triage.

Agreed. The partisan targeting of California when red states have been equally or even more unprepared is really vile and frankly immoral.

This a thousand times. It’s vile and evil

+1 Yes, and there are many DCUM threads in which posters bash red states. Vile and evil no matter who does it.

The difference is that this time it is red state politicians targeting Californians who have lost their homes. That is not something blue politicians have done.

Think what you want, but blue politicians are not above reproach either.

I have not seen a specific example of blue state politicians holding (or pushing publicly to hold) aid hostage like red state politicians are currently doing.

Example:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

And I am no partisan Democrat. I’m a moderate independent. But honesty is important here. I have never seen that behavior from Democrat politicians towards the victims of disasters.

This is one moron and not a movement.

The point remains that this not something I have ever seen Democratic politicians, even the most unhinged and crazy of them, ever do. They simply do not target the victims of natural disasters. I have only ever seen that behavior from Republican politicians, and it is appalling.

Really? Some people in North Carolina would like a word with you.

Please post a news article showing a Democratic politician doing this:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

To victims of the NC floods.

I genuinely want to know, because I am an independent and view this as a significant gap between the parties at this point.

Thank you for the link and to PP as well about Biden asking for NC funds. I'm sick of the disinformation, the whataboutism, and the CRUELTY. If congress is going to play games with FEMA (the F is for Federal), then let's simply have 50 SEMAs (plus PR, Guam, etc). Everyone pays their own way. If a state can't afford it, their residents don't like it, they move to another state.

I'm also an independent and I'm playing close attention to how we treat fellow citizens in our one country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry this poster is moronic. Others are laughing at the packing Christmas ornaments because she wrote specifically:

-The front closet also has flat boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, scissors that are not used for anything else. They are there primarily for art and books.

-I have packed a box with one or two pieces of each of the multiple sets of china and crystal that are family things.

-I have a packed box of our most treasured Christmas things.

Then adds "We know what fits in our vehicles and what we can add if our friend comes with a trailer."

Time to wrap books and art in bubble wrap, Christmas ornaments and china? It is a ridiculous list.

No where does it list- pack snacks, water, and blankets because you might get stuck and not be able to fully leave or get caught in a rush of people leaving the neighborhood in the middle of the night and have to sleep in your car.

No where does it say check on elderly neighbors. Instead, the list includes getting a trailer to come take more ridiculous stuff like china and books. And while the china is being packed the kids are left to their own devices trying to shove things into a trash bag by themselves potentially in the dark because there is a good chance their won't be power.

It wasn’t a list of things that everyone should take or do in evacuation. I mentioned early in the thread that I had reorganized my home in the wake of having to evacuate and having my community lose an enormous number of homes, including our best and other close friends. I had three days to watch and wait after the first evacuation with no plan. It made me very aware of what we wanted to take if we could. That’s part of how our personal choices came about. Helping people who lost everything also influenced us.

This is not a comprehensive list or instructions. Like I said, everyone’s list is going to be different. I assume most people know to take medications and cash. I wasn’t talking about that. I wasn’t talking about basic preparedness. I was talking about [i]things we did in advance to maximize what we could safely take. And you know what, I moved a few kids’ drawings and other odd items to our important papers box. Because it’s freaking crushing to have NOTHING left. Shoot me. We have always made it out before the order.

Later I posted quite a bit about how our neighborhood organized to help each other and do our best to make sure no one is left behind. Nowhere in your post do you merino older non-driving kids who might be home alone. Wow, you must be dumb! How dare your post not be a perfect instruction list for every person and family everywhere in each post you make?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pp here. I’m also in deep fear of what happens under dry CA conditions over the next 4 years if federal aid is withheld, as Trump promised on the campaign trail.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/03/helene-trump-politics-natural-disaster-00182419

In 2020 Trump signed a bill that would have diverted excess water from Northern California to LA specifically to boost the reservoirs for fire fighting purposes. The state and advocacy groups, including Newsom, battled him using the pretext that it'd hurt the salmon among others. That is the origin of the disagreement of Trump and Newsom. Unfortunately, it is true, so for all of his childish petulant screeds in a manner that only Trump can muster, Trump actually does have a point here. Right now California is not really governed to serve the safety and wellbeing of its people. Its programs and policies are bled by a thousand cuts through demands by so many advocacy groups wanting to protect/preserve/champion equity for this and that.

Wildfires are a fact of life in California and the dangers of a massive wildfire promising this level and even greater destructions has always been there, yet what we saw was a strange lack of advance preparation despite plenty of warnings that the conditions were ripe. Serious questions have to be asked about it. And I would not be upset if the Trump administration demanded LA and the California state governments to explain why they weren't better prepared or to outline new policies and laws that guaranteed a basic level of preparedness for worst case situations before releasing any new federal aid to the state. Americans cannot be called to pour more money (billions and billions) after bad if no basic changes are being made at the ground level. To use as one small but critical example, so many wildfires (fortunately mostly doused in time) are started by homeless people yet California has seemingly done little to address the homeless problem or is, at least, very slow to do anything meaningful.

Legitimate questions need to be asked about the competence of California governing class.

I’m OP worried about Trump. I agree questions need to be asked re the response to the current fire. That said, the videos of Santa Ana winds and the idea that entire neighborhoods in Southern California should all be able to hose their houses while fire fighters are using hydrants and having enough water for it all seems very hard - if not impossible - to be prepared for. Also, I don’t know that water should be diverted from Northern CA to southern CA and / or farmlands. This is not a problem unique to CA - red states have plenty of wildfires (Alaska, Idaho etc) and also have cities that are likely to face severe water problems regardless of whether a fire ever whips through neighborhoods (eg Phoenix, Las Vegas).

My understanding is that Trump didn’t sign a water diversion bill (ie no such bill existed) but that there have been other water fights. By all means there should be investigations into what happened - Newsom has said as much - but we also need federal aid to continue in January. Calling for an investigation to occur and be concluded as a condition of aid is a dangerous president. For instance, I suspect many more people would have died had a completed investigation into the Texas powergrid failure been a condition for federal aid then, as is true of other emergency responses (hurricanes, forest fires etc). The precedent is that Trump has wanted to withhold disaster funding to CA - and he repeated this on the campaign trail - as a stick, but other states (to my Knowledge) haven’t had similar sticks as conditional requirements in their emergencies.

The whole debate reminds me of the gun reform arguments - after a mass shouting there are a lot of statements that it’s not the right time for policy and help is needed now, but then it never is the right time for policy because help is always needed by that standard given the number of shootings in this country. Balancing emergency response and care with policy reform is needed, but there does have to be some triage.

Agreed. The partisan targeting of California when red states have been equally or even more unprepared is really vile and frankly immoral.

This a thousand times. It’s vile and evil

+1 Yes, and there are many DCUM threads in which posters bash red states. Vile and evil no matter who does it.

The difference is that this time it is red state politicians targeting Californians who have lost their homes. That is not something blue politicians have done.

Think what you want, but blue politicians are not above reproach either.

I have not seen a specific example of blue state politicians holding (or pushing publicly to hold) aid hostage like red state politicians are currently doing.

Example:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

And I am no partisan Democrat. I’m a moderate independent. But honesty is important here. I have never seen that behavior from Democrat politicians towards the victims of disasters.

This is one moron and not a movement.

The point remains that this not something I have ever seen Democratic politicians, even the most unhinged and crazy of them, ever do. They simply do not target the victims of natural disasters. I have only ever seen that behavior from Republican politicians, and it is appalling.

Really? Some people in North Carolina would like a word with you.

Please post a news article showing a Democratic politician doing this:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/warren-davidson-republican-disaster-relief-california-wildfires

To victims of the NC floods.

I genuinely want to know, because I am an independent and view this as a significant gap between the parties at this point.

Thank you for the link and to PP as well about Biden asking for NC funds. I'm sick of the disinformation, the whataboutism, and the CRUELTY. If congress is going to play games with FEMA (the F is for Federal), then let's simply have 50 SEMAs (plus PR, Guam, etc). Everyone pays their own way. If a state can't afford it, their residents don't like it, they move to another state.

I'm also an independent and I'm playing close attention to how we treat fellow citizens in our one country.

Same. As someone who has been a crossover voter and donor, I am watching the Republican response to this extremely carefully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry this poster is moronic. Others are laughing at the packing Christmas ornaments because she wrote specifically:

-The front closet also has flat boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, scissors that are not used for anything else. They are there primarily for art and books.

-I have packed a box with one or two pieces of each of the multiple sets of china and crystal that are family things.

-I have a packed box of our most treasured Christmas things.

Then adds "We know what fits in our vehicles and what we can add if our friend comes with a trailer."

Time to wrap books and art in bubble wrap, Christmas ornaments and china? It is a ridiculous list.

No where does it list- pack snacks, water, and blankets because you might get stuck and not be able to fully leave or get caught in a rush of people leaving the neighborhood in the middle of the night and have to sleep in your car.

No where does it say check on elderly neighbors. Instead, the list includes getting a trailer to come take more ridiculous stuff like china and books. And while the china is being packed the kids are left to their own devices trying to shove things into a trash bag by themselves potentially in the dark because there is a good chance their won't be power.

I don't know why anyone would snark at someone's specific list and circumstances. I personally have teens, so they can and would want to pack their own things. I'd definitely bring a few family heirlooms relatives cared to carry through many decades/centuries. Why would you not IF you had time? Obviously that poster would just leave if flames were at the door. Snacks take five seconds to grab.

+1