power outages (SoCal Gas and Electric did a public safety power shutoff (PSPS) for parts of LA either where the home has gas in addition to electric, or parts where they do not get electricity from the LA Dept of Water and Power (LADWP) (Which BTW is one of the best municipals in the country).
At least five fires are active now, and the wind was so strong they couldn't fly in copters to pour water on the fires. Also, President Biden was grounded in LA - he was going to head to the Coachella Valley to officially announce a new protected area there.
At least three volunteers had to evacuate. One, her porch went on fire, they managed to halt that fire but still needed to flee. Another waited until the last minute, while homes were burning across the street from her, before leaving for her son's. I don't feel confident her home in Altadena will still be there when she goes back. Another is in Pacific Palisades, and I hope did not lose his home and got out safely. We are doing wellness check ins with volunteers in the affected areas.
all my staff colleagues are safe. Sigh.
I was crying last night over this. LA was home for 8 years, but even if it wasn't, the scale of devastation hit hard. :(
