October 26, 2007
Wild Fires - San Diego, California
Seven people have died in the flames that have consumed about 750 square miles and at least 1,800 homes since the weekend. This is a list of the fires with statistics:
Harris Fire, San Diego County
This fire has burned 81,100 acres and is 10 percent contained. There have been 25 civilian injuries and one death as well as seven firefighter injuries on this fire. An estimated 200 homes have been destroyed or damaged. 1,500 homes are still threatened.
Witch Fire, San Diego County
This fire has burned 197,990 acres and is 20 percent contained. 645 homes, 30 commercial properties, and 50 outbuildings have been destroyed. 250 homes, 10 commercial properties and 50 outbuildings have been damaged. 5,000 residences, 1,500 commercial properties, and 300 outbuildings are currently threatened. 22 firefighters have been injured on this fire.
Poomacha Fire, San Diego County
This fire started October 23 as a structure fire on the Lajolla Indian Reservation. It has burned 35,000 acres and is 20 percent contained. 50 homes have been destroyed and 2,000 homes are threatened currently. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $950,000.
Slide Fire, San Bernardino County
This fire has burned 11,600 acres at Green Valley Lake near Running Springs in San Bernardino County. 200 homes and 3 outbuildings have burned. 10,000 homes continue to be threatened.
Grass Valley Fire, San Bernardino County
This fire has burned 1,100 acres and is 40 percent contained. The fire is northwest of Lake Arrowhead. 100 structures have been lost, and more than 6,000 homes remain threatened. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $2 million.
Santiago Fire, Orange County
This fire has burned 23,000 acres. The fire is burning at Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road in Irvine, Orange County. 3,000 homes are threatened in the communities of Silverado, Modjeska, Trabuco, Live Oak, Williams, Holy Jim, and Cleveland National Forrest. Fourteen homes and eight outbuildings have been destroyed. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $2.75 million.
Horno/Ammo Fire, San Diego County
The Horno/Ammo Fire has burned 17,000 acres since October 23.
Rice Fire/Rice Canyon, San Diego County
This fire has burned 9,000 acres in Rice Canyon in Northern San Diego County and is 30 percent contained. 206 homes, 2 commercial properties and 40 outbuildings have been destroyed. 400 homes are threatened currently. The estimated cost of this fire is $1.2 million.
Ranch Fire, Los Angeles County
This fire has burned 55,756 acres since October 20. One firefighter has been injured. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $7 million.
Canyon Fire, Los Angeles County
This fire has burned 4,200 acres. 22 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Three injuries have been reported. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $4.2 million.
Cajon Fire, San Bernardino County
This fire started October 22 and has burned 250 acres.
Rosa Fire, Riverside County
This fire burned 411 acres.
Sedgewick Fire, Santa Barbara County
This fire, caused by arching power lines, burned 710 acres.
Coronado Hills Fire, San Diego County
This fire started October 22 and burned 250 acres south of Cal State San Marcos in San Diego County.
Roca Fire, Riverside County
The Roca Fire burned 270 acres since October 21. One injury and one home destroyed reported.
Walker Fire, San Bernardino County
This fire burned 160 acres northwest of Lake Arrowhead in San Bernardino County.
McCoy Fire, San Diego County
This fire burned 300 acres. One residence and one outbuilding were destroyed.
Wilcox Fire, San Diego County
This 100 acre fire on Camp Pendleton.
Meadowridge Fire, Los Angeles County
This 40 acre fire began at 12:30 October 23.
Buckweed Fire, Los Angeles County
This fire burned 38,356 acres. 21 homes and 22 outbuildings were destroyed and 15 homes were damaged. Three civilians and one firefighter were injured. The estimated cost of this fire to date is $5.8 million.
Magic Fire, Los Angeles County
The Magic Fire has burned 2,824 acres.
Martin Fire, San Bernardino County
This fire in the San Bernardino National Forest began at 9 a.m. October 23 and has burned 123 acres. One home has been damaged.
Nightsky Fire, Ventura County
This fire is in Ventura County and burned 35 acres.
July 17, 2006
Earthquake - Ciamis, Indonesia
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 triggers a tsunami killing at least 550 people off the coast of Java Island. Waves as high as trees damaged homes and washed away entire hotels and bodies. Thousands are missing and feeling in an area spared by the Asian tsunami of 2004. Roads were blocked and power cut to much of the area. Damage and casualties were reported at several spots along the 110 miles of beach affected, officials and media reports said.
Indonesia has installed a warning system across much of Sumatra island but not on Java. It has been planning to extend it there by 2007. Java was hit seven weeks ago by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 5,800 people, but was spared by the 2004 tsunami that killed 216,000 people, nearly half of them in Indonesia's Aceh province.
May 27, 2006
Earthquake - Bantul, Indonesia
Nearly 650,000 are displaced and more than 5,800 were killed by Saturday's 6.3 magnitude devastating earthquake. Hardest hit is Bantaul, where entire villages were leveled and homes reduced to piles of wood, tiles and tin. Survivors are using whatever they can find to build makeshift tents.
Panembahan Senopati Hospital was designed for 140 patients. On Monday, it had 1,200. Hopes in finding more survivors are fading. Many at the hospital Monday had casts on broken limbs and bandages on cuts, but the psychic wounds they suffered from the quake may be far greater.
The quake was the fourth destructive temblor to hit Indonesia in the past 17 months, including the one that triggered the Dec. 25, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami.
May 23, 2006
Flash Flood - Bangkok, Thailand
Flash floods from heavy rain killed at least 50 people and left thousands trapped on rooftops and in trees in northern Thailand. Victims are trapped under tons of mud from a landslide effecting dozens of houses in the Lablae district of Uttardit province. By Tuesday evening, 40 bodies had been recovered, but another 40 people are still missing. As many as 50,000 households are without power. Thousands of people are without food and electricity and rescue teams in boats have not reached them.
May 18, 2006
Typhoon - Hanoi, Vietnam
Typhoon Chanchu, the strongest on record in the South China Sea this month has killed at least 50 people in Asia. The storm hit early Thursday, flooding homes and left at least 200 Vietnamese fishermen missing after their boats sank in the ocean. The storm has forced evacuation of more than 1 million people, a border official said. On friday, 60 people were pulled from the water alive, but 24 were found dead. There are fears that the death toll could rise dramatically.
March 20, 2006
Cylcon - Innisfail, Australia
The most powerful cyclone in three decades lashes through Australia devouring homes, uprooting trees, and stripping farms Monday. Innisfall, a town of about 8,500 people sustained the most damage. Mayor Neil Clarke says the damage was so severe, "it looks like an atomic bomb hit the place." Cyclone Larry destructed 300km of coastline from Cairns to Townsville.
Cyclone Larry wreaked havoc on sugar and banana plantations, leaving thousands homeless.
February 17, 2006
Landslide - Guinsaugon, Philippines
The village of Guinsaugon, once a community of 2,500 people is now buried under 30 feet of mud after the side of a mountain collapsed. The Philippine Red Cross has estimated at least 200 are dead, but between 1,500 and 2,500 might be under the mud. Three hundred and seventy five homes and an elementary school are under think, soft mud that remains unstable due to two weeks of downpours - blamed on the La Nina weather phenomenon- that had dumped 27 inches of rain on the area. 250 pupils and teachers were believed to have been at the elementary school. Only one girl and a woman were rescued alive nearby.
There is no doubt that these people will need our help.