California Fire Story Continued

Yet another e-mail from my friend in San Diego. It's not getting any better.

I feel safe in my neighborhood since I'm located in the city, but I guess I shouldn't call anywhere 100% safe at this point. There is an evacuation site about 1.5 miles from my house, Qualcomm, which is home to the San Diego Chargers. I feel pretty confident that I'm ok at least for now since they are sending evacuee's there. I am at work today, but my whole floor is very quite as many of my co-workers have had to evacuate their homes and are at friends houses and evacuation centers with their families.

Unfortunately the weather is not any better here today so the fires are continuing to grow. Homes on the oceanfront property in Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe (exclusive parts of town) are burning. They say the only thing to stop these fires at this point is the ocean. San Diego County has been declared a state of emergency. Arnold Schwarzenegger was here yesterday and remains here today. He has visited many of the injured firefighters and patients in our burn unit here at UCSD Medical Center this morning. Matt Lauer from the Today's show was also here broadcasting live. Many people are finding out they lost their homes by listening to their addresses being announced on live TV because they are not going to be allowed back into their neighborhoods until they are sure it's a safe area. Until the winds die down we won't know where the fires will be carried to next.

A Live Account of the California Fires

A close friend lives in San Diego, California and she sent me an e-mail of what is really going on regarding the fires.

For those of you who don't already know,many parts of CA are burning including San Diego county. When Iwalked outside of my house this morning it smelled like a campfire! All schools are closed and the hospitals are overflowing of peoplewith smoke inhalation, asthma, COPD attacks (the air is horrible) andburns. Our burn unit reached maximum capacity with the majority being firefighters. It appears to be foggy outside from the smoke and italso looks like it's snowing because there is so much ash in the air. So many people have lost their homes. The wind keeps shifting directions so they have not been able to contain the fires to this point. Everyone has been advised to stay at home to clear theroadways so that emergency vehicles can get through. They shut downthe interstate going north and south early this morning. You are onlyto leave your home if they evacuate your neighborhood, which my brothers neighborhood was evacuated about an hour ago. UCSD medical center (my work) is crazy right now! I just left to come home about20 minutes ago and when I stepped out of my building there were about 20 ambulances sitting outside the ER and a helicopter trying to landon the landing pad. I honestly don't think I've ever seen such madness as this, except on tv.

Al Gore Good on Theory, Bad on Solution

I can't help but agree with The American on their latest piece regarding Al Gore's solution to global warming. We can all agree it is hotter than ever but what do we do about it? Read Nobel in Alarm, Ignoble in Solution for a different perspective.

And here is more on the global warming solution debate from The New Republic.