NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab Closed Due to Raging LA Fires (space.com) 48
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Los Angeles, has been temporarily shuttered due to the nearby Eaton fire. "JPL is closed except for emergency personnel. No fire damage so far (some wind damage) but it is very close to the lab. Hundreds of JPLers have been evacuated from their homes & many have lost homes. Special thx to our emergency crews. Pls keep us in your thoughts & stay safe," JPL Director Laurie Leshin announced via X today (Jan. 8). Space.com reports: JPL is federally funded but managed by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The center runs many of NASA's high-profile robotic missions, such as the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers and the $5 billion Europa Clipper, which recently launched to explore an intriguing ocean moon of Jupiter.
The Eaton fire sparked up on Tuesday evening (Jan. 7) near Altadena, which is just north of Pasadena. It has burned at least 1,000 acres (400 hectares) to date, according to CBS News, which cited the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). The Eaton fire is one of several big blazes churning through the Los Angeles area, driven and spread by record-setting winds. The biggest and most destructive is the Palisades Fire, which is laying waste to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the west side of the city.
The Eaton fire sparked up on Tuesday evening (Jan. 7) near Altadena, which is just north of Pasadena. It has burned at least 1,000 acres (400 hectares) to date, according to CBS News, which cited the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). The Eaton fire is one of several big blazes churning through the Los Angeles area, driven and spread by record-setting winds. The biggest and most destructive is the Palisades Fire, which is laying waste to the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the west side of the city.
Re: Trump tried to provide them with water! (Score:1, Interesting)
Re: Trump tried to provide them with water! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes you can snuff a fire with explosives, but then the damage is even worse.
Homes in California right now aren’t being damaged. They’re being razed.
When you’re left with dirt and ash, even the tax collector doesn’t have a definition of worse.
Re: (Score:2)
It's worse then that. You still have to clear the land and re-prep it before you can rebuild. If it was just raw land, it would be easier.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Yeah thats not going to happen. If , a foreign country with a long history of attempted genocides of your people invaded you with the express goal of erasing your country, people and language would you back down?
History has taught us one thing, when your trying to erase a people , those people will fight you forever and if vietnam is anything to go by , a guerilla army on their own turf against a hostile foreign power can absolutely win even if the hostile foreign power is a super power (Not that anyone par
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah thats not going to happen. If , a foreign country with a long history of attempted genocides of your people invaded you with the express goal of erasing your country, people and language would you back down?
History has taught us one thing, when your trying to erase a people , those people will fight you forever and if vietnam is anything to go by , a guerilla army on their own turf against a hostile foreign power can absolutely win even if the hostile foreign power is a super power (Not that anyone particularly believes the russians are anymore)
Seeing as you're not familiar with the concept of sarcasm I will close the cash drawer now.
Not that I disagree with you mind you, but the GPP was clearly being satirical.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Yeah thats not going to happen. If , a foreign country with a long history of attempted genocides of your people invaded you with the express goal of erasing your country, people and language would you back down?
History has taught us one thing, when your trying to erase a people , those people will fight you forever and if vietnam is anything to go by , a guerilla army on their own turf against a hostile foreign power can absolutely win even if the hostile foreign power is a super power.
The main thing Vietnam taught us, is that you better win the moral game. Or you’re done.
The only reason a guerrilla army on their own turf won was because the foreigner didn’t use their superior power to nuke them off the map.
Ukraine only exists today, because morals are in check. For now.
Re: (Score:3)
TFS says some of them don't have a home anymore.
Re: (Score:2)
They might not even have insurance.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
The problem in this case is that CA's state government required insurers to get permission before raising rates for fire insurance, and then denied basically all the requests to increase rates, so the insurers did not renew those policies. Something something increased risk of fire damage.
But hey, the people whose houses burned down didn't have to pay more for insurance!
Re: (Score:2)
Yes (in this case, homeowner's insurance). Though many Los Angelinos lost their fire/homeowner's insurance a few weeks ago.
Re: (Score:2)
The politicians refusal to allow insurance to raise rates, thereby causing insurers to leave the state feels just a pinch to orchestrated. The state will likely expand it's state run insurance pool and before you know it, we will all be in that together. It will be backed by the taxpayers but most Californian taxpayers don't own a home to insure...
So essentially, with state run insurance backed by the entire state's taxpayers, you'll have renters help pay for rich folks homes to be rebuilt. Doesn't that jus
Prevention (Score:2)
These fires are just insane.
Are there no barriers that can be built to stop their rapid propagation?
Firewalls?
Trenches?
Artificial rivers?
Now that so much has been destroyed can it be rebuilt so that this doesn't happen again?
Re:Prevention (Score:5, Insightful)
No. The problem with these very large fires is the wind. Embers from them blow downwind by miles, and spread the fire sometimes as fast as 15mph. Tiny little trenches (even ones hundreds of meters wide) don't stop them. They can jump across them easily.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Well no, it's the winds. The water and the budget cuts are just media fodder. The winds have been so bad, there is almost nothing to do but try and contain the files.
Also PG&E doesn't operate in that part of California. So that shows how much you know.
Re: (Score:2)
running power lines through forests
That's more of a Northern California problem.
Does anyone know how these fires were started? Not the "blowing embers" b.s. Because embers have to come from somewhere. Even a homeless camp meth cooking operation.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Not a lot. Once a fire is big enough theres sweet FA except a very good fire department that can slow it down.
The good news is that the three best fire departments in the world are the Aussies, Canadians and importantly here, the Californians. If it was in summer, you might even have a a few of those aussies (who are the masters of fighting highly explosive eucalypt fires which are similar in behavior to redwood fires), alas its not summer and the australians are back at home fighting big fires back in AU.
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
Can you provide more detail about this "California fire department"? I do not recall hearing about it before. Does it have much experience in handling fires with almost no water pressure and stolen fire hydrants [latimes.com]?
Re: (Score:2)
Yep, I'm sure you fight a fire in a raging wildfire by driving up to the nearest hydrant in the middle of the forest. That's the normal way it's done.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure, here's the website for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection [ca.gov], or CalFire.
Next question?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Now that so much has been destroyed can it be rebuilt so that this doesn't happen again?
Between FEMA handing out $750 checks as “good enough” after a disaster and Greed in insurance charging six figures for fire insurance policies, I promise you that your concerns about this being rebuilt are not valid.
California will be lucky if it has dirt left to tax in the areas being destroyed. And American insurance better learn to get a fucking grip on their incessant greed problem. Otherwise that burnt California dirt will remain about as valuable as a Ukrainian exclusion zone.
Re: (Score:1)
Ah, the disinformation is strong with this one!
The $750 was just an immediate payment in the moment. More appropriate funds can be had via the usual application process. Here is the official take from FEMA [fema.gov].
Other sources: WPTV [wptv.com] (west palm beach, FL ABC affiliate), WSPA [wspa.com] (Spartanburg, Ga CBS affiliate), Marketplace [marketplace.org], Yahoo [yahoo.com], Al Jazeera [aljazeera.com]. Hell, even Fox News [foxnews.com] explains that the $750 was just an immediate needs payment, and
Re: (Score:2)
Greed in insurance charging six figures for fire insurance policies... And American insurance better learn to get a fucking grip on their incessant greed problem.
While there is certainly a profit seeking motive in providing insurance, the above is just a stupid take.
Fire insurance rates are going up because the risk is going up. Insurance is risk pooling, plain and simple. When you have a loss, your claim is paid from the premiums paid by you and, more importantly, the people who didn't have losses. More fires, more claims? Everyone's premiums are going up and those who have the highest risk see the highest rise in their premiums. If you have a house in the mid
Re: (Score:2)
Well said.
Re: (Score:2)
Be glad I don't run insurance, there would be a two strike rule - you get to rebuild once, the second time you get the money but can only use it to build in a less risk prone spot.
Constantly rebuilding for the same reason
Re: (Score:2)
You forgot developers building in DO NOT BUILD zones, and oh, yes, overpopulation.
Thankfully... (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I believe that fish are also affected by wildfires...
Re: (Score:1)