The Daily Digest is paused for the holiday weekend and will return on Tuesday, January 21.
This is a special edition focused on Southern California wildfire news.
High-risk fire weather returns to Southern California starting Monday
“Southern California is facing another round of dangerous fire weather on Monday and Tuesday — driving new risk as the region reels from the destructive firestorm that ignited during a high-wind event earlier this month. The latest Santa Ana winds — set to return Monday, with the strongest gusts expected Monday night into Tuesday morning — arrive amid a record dry stretch and what experts have described as unprecedented conditions ripe for fire. The latest warnings suggest that any new or existing fires “will have a high risk for very rapid fire spread.” … The forecast for early this week is looking “very concerning” for the wind-prone corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
SEE ALSO: Southern California in ‘uncharted territory’ as extreme fire weather returns next week, from the LA Times
Wildfires are too much for municipal water systems. In Los Angeles, firefighters tried anyway.
“When wind-driven embers sent flames ripping through the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, firefighters and residents began noticing less water pressure in their hoses. In some cases, fire hydrants had no water at all. The trouble started hours after the fire did. The first water-storage tank supplying firefighters ran out of water at 4:45 p.m. By 8:30 p.m., so did the second tank. And at 3 a.m. the next morning, the third gave out. Pacific Palisades relies on a series of storage tanks in the hills: Water is pumped up to the tanks, and then gravity sends it flowing downhill to maintain the pressure in the hydrants. At a press conference on Jan. 8, Janisse Quiñones, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power CEO and chief engineer, said water use peaked at four times the usual rate, decreasing water pressure during the first 15 hours crews fought the Palisades Fire. “We are fighting a wildfire with urban water systems,” she said. … But water is only one piece of an extremely complex equation that includes flammable chaparral shrubs, dry conditions worsened by climate change, and dense communities located in fire-prone areas. … ” Read more from High Country News.
L.A. isn’t ready for what’s next
“As firefighters struggle against the blazes in Southern California, onlookers have been hoping and praying for rain. But anything more than a drizzle risks setting off terrifying new natural disasters. After steep hillsides burn, a rainstorm is likely to trigger flash floods, mudslides, or debris flows. The threats to life and property are dire. State and local officials in California are rushing to study land that has burned, identify where trouble is likely when it next rains, and warn residents. But more time is needed to complete their work. And there are limits to what their models can predict. Jason Kean, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Landslide Hazards Program, talked me through the coordinated effort to figure out who is in peril. … ” Read more from The Atlantic.
How fires impact ocean water quality
“During natural disasters, residents seek three things: community support, goodwill, and up-to-date information. To that end, Los Angeles County leaders invited Heal the Bay science and outreach staff to attend an emergency meeting Thursday morning at the Palisades Fire incident command center at Zuma Beach. Department officials from L.A. County Fire and Beaches & Harbors asked Heal the Bay to help disseminate accurate updates to the public about how the catastrophic fires affect beach access and ocean water quality. Here’s what we learned … ” Read more from Heal the Bay.
Legal alert: Southern California wildfires: Water agency investigations, emergency plans, and legal aftermath
“The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have caused widespread destruction, displaced countless residents and devastated entire communities. As Southern California remains on high alert due to ongoing weather conditions, the State of California has moved to investigate the crisis and develop emergency plans aimed at mitigating the potentially disastrous aftermath. One of the most scrutinized issues in the wake of these fires is the loss of water supply from local fire hydrants. On January 10th, the Governor issued a letter directing “state water and firefighting officials” to prepare a report examining the causes of lost water supply and water pressure during the five events. … ” Read more from Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo
Water systems expert has a message for the public as LA wildfires rage
“First responders are hard at work combating the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, while many members of the public question what could have caused the fires and if policy missteps hampered firefighting efforts. Kathryn Sorensen, who ran water and wastewater utilities for two major Arizona cities, says there are key facts about our water system that need to be understood. “Municipal water utility systems really are not designed to fight large-scale wildfires,” Sorensen told Fox News. “They are designed with enough storage to meet demands under normal operating conditions and to fight a couple of relatively localized structure fires of a relatively short duration.” Sorensen acknowledged that there are valid discussions to be had about the capacity of our current water systems and how they are used. … ” Read more from Fox News.
Wildfire smoke is always toxic. LA’s is even worse.
“Rachel Wald always has a bit of a cold. That’s life when you have two kids younger than 5, she says. You’re always a little sick. But it wasn’t until after Wald and her family voluntarily fled the fires in Los Angeles that she realized the cough, sore throat, and itchy eyes she couldn’t shake were being exacerbated by the fires plaguing the city. “I don’t think I was really recognizing how much of it was not the cold, but the smoke,” she said. Wald, who is a director at a health and environment center at the University of Southern California, is among the lucky ones. Her neighborhood in central L.A. was never directly threatened. Her house is intact; her children, husband, and all they own are safe. Nevertheless, Wald, like millions of other Angelenos, can’t escape the health effects of the blazes. Experts expect those impacts to linger. … ” Read more from Grist.
Lessons from the burn zone: Why some homes survived the L.A. wildfires
“They’re calling it the miracle mansion of Malibu. The beachfront house stands tall amid piles of rubble, still smoking from the Palisades fire, in an iconic image splashed around the world by news outlets. But David Steiner doesn’t credit his home’s survival to supernatural forces. The sturdy concrete structure has a fire-resistant roof and tempered, double-paned windows. Firefighters stood on his balcony to hose down his and neighboring properties. “I tell people it was great architecture, brave firefighters — and maybe a dash of miracle,” says the retired CEO of Waste Management. As stories emerge from the Palisades and Eaton fires of harrowing escapes, tragic loss and widespread destruction, others about homes surviving through some combination of fortunate timing, a lucky wind shift and — according to experts, modern approaches to architecture and landscaping — are coming out of the burn zone. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
L.A. fire damage: These searchable maps provide the most detailed look yet at devastation
“An estimated 14,800 structures were destroyed or damaged by the Palisades and Eaton fires in the Los Angeles area, according to a new Chronicle analysis showing which structures are likely to have been impacted — and which survived. Once the fires are contained, it will take inspectors some time to sort through the rubble. But we already have some information about which structures have been destroyed by the largest fires. … ” Read more and view maps at the San Francisco Chronicle.
FIRE, WATER, AND POLITICS
- JD Vance: “Some of these (California) reservoirs have been dry for 15, 20 years,” from PolitiFact
- LADWP Refutes Fire Hydrant Misinformation During Palisades Fire’s Unprecedented Demand for Water, from Westside Connect
- Fact Check: The Resnicks Do Not Own ‘Most of California’s Water’, from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos