Research Question California Wildfires

Alvah · Oct 23, 2007

According to today's news, half a million people have been evacuated from their homes in southern California because of the out-of-control wildfires there.

I have several questions about these evacuees:

Where do you put 500,000 people? That's a small city's worth!
Surely the Red Cross and YMCA's don't have enough room for all of them.

Where do half a million refugees do laundry?

How do you feed half a million people, and who pays for that?

Where do 500,000 people go to the bathroom? I know they are not all in one place...still that's a lot of toilets needed.

How long will a family have to wait, typically, before they are allowed
to return to their homes - if they still have homes? If their homes are destoyed, what then? Even if their houses are insured, it will take several months at least, may more than a year, to rebuild.

If, for example, 2000 homes are destroyed by fire, how do the insurance companies absorb such a heavy cost? Are insurance payments delayed when a disaster is this widespread?

Thanks for your responses.

Tish Davidson · Oct 24, 2007

My understanding is that about 12,000 are at QualCom stadium where the professional football team plays (plenty of toilets) and that the Red Cross and the military have brought in water, food, cots and blankets. I believe another large group is at the Del Mar Fair Grounds and that another large group as well as quite a few horses that were evacuated are at Camp Pendelton, a huge Marine base. Military cargo planes have been flying in supplies to the area and truck convoys have been sent from northern California with supplies. Many people are staying with friends and relatives and some hotels and motels are offering free rooms to families. The Red Cross said that they had served 35,000 hot meals and innumerable sandwiches on Tuesday and that many local people who were in areas where there were no fires were volunteering to help with evacuees. It probably helps that there are many patches that are fire free within SoCal - unlike a hurricane where the whole region is almost uniformily affected -- but the pictures on the news are horrific.

How long people have to wait to get back to their homes depends on how long it takes to control the fires and make sure that all the hot spots are out. Usually insurance companies have special task forces that they can dispatch to disaster areas to help speed the claims process and dispense emergency cash or housing vouchers. The state and federal governments also provide disaster relief and pay for most of the cost of the emergency supplies and the actual cost of fighting the fires. The Red Cross and similar private charitable groups also help people both during and after the disaster.

Tsu Dho Nimh · Oct 24, 2007

The football team is here in AZ for practice, sharing with the Cardinals ... where they will play was undecided with the stadium in SD being full of refugees. Probably Glendale's arena.

Many people stay with family, friends, and co-workers outside the affected zone, some are in mini-shelters at churches, etc.

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AZ has sent a lot of firefighting power to SD already.

Insurance companies will pull in adjustors from all ofer the country. When rebuilding starts that will suck workmen from all over the country.

Research Question California Wildfires

Alvah

Life is what you make of it.

Tish Davidson

Tsu Dho Nimh