Heroes of the California wildfire catastrophe in Daydreaming on the Porch

The world has never been as close to going to hell in a hand basket as it is today. Never in the history of humanity have we been so close to planetary catastrophe…

Bernardo Kastrup

To outsiders, Los Angeles can come off as a faceless sprawl filled with artifice and isolation. But those who live there discover that every neighborhood and every backyard is its own universe. Each hub of the region has its own character, cuisine, vernacular, soul and landmarks.

Shawn Hubler
The New York Times

Human stories don’t have to end with disaster and death. Instead, catastrophes can signal the beginning of something new.

Grace Moore

We’re facing extreme cold weather here in Charleston all next week. Never have I known a cold spell to last this long in our part of the country.

But then I just saw this headline:

SoCal faces most urgent warning for strong winds, extreme fire danger

How dangerous and extreme can the weather get?

The horrific and powerful Santa Ana winds are returning to Southern California. It’s Sunday, January 19 as I write this.

The destruction caused by the tragic and unprecedented inferno from the Los Angeles wildfires two weeks ago, has been so shocking to see that I am still trying to fathom the extent of the utter devastation caused by this conflagration that was rapidly spread by 50-100 mph Santa Ana winds, shooting burning embers across, and destroying, entire neighborhoods and communities.

I watched an hour of one video of a drive on a sunny, clear day through Pacific Palisades after the fire, and except for a few houses and buildings left standing, everything else was in ash and ruins. I was riveted by mile after mile of the vast wasteland that a once green, vibrant and affluent coastal community, Pacific Palisades, had become. Half a dozen wildfires, left 24 dead and 12,000 structures destroyed. I kept hearing the devastation being described as “apocalyptic.” Indeed it was and still is.

After watching countless videos, many of which were utterly heartbreaking, I had to turn away, donate where I could, and mourn for the thousands of individuals and families that lost everything.

But will this surreal catastrophe result in more fireproof new homes, as well as countless other changes that might make the fire-prone areas safer? I’m skeptical that it will. And who can even afford to rebuild after losing insurance coverage.

I selected some videos that captured the emotions, sadness and bravery of that history-making fire starting on January 7. What is the world coming to?

Firefighting heroes
https://youtube.com/shorts/6_LhKjRVYBc?si=sf0HHXwCJlzai_XW

Just a portion of the devastation

https://youtube.com/shorts/VOX1tDLZ1lE?si=IQx66aotmUSYeSPA

Lost dog found

https://youtube.com/shorts/NY5sQjgSI3w?si=Egc–wKM0QF2-dHa