[Get Out and Go]

http://pyrologix.com/ftp/Public/Reports/RiskToCommunities_OR-WA_BriefingPaper.pdf In light of the Paradise, California tragedy, a relevant report with a statistical analysis to it (for better or worse, in these threads I guess ). Yay, Leavenworth for being #1 in Community Exposure Ranking, but only #11 in Burn Probability Ranking. (Warm Springs, Oregon gets #1) I've asked myself what makes us different from Paradise in risk...big pines in our neighborhood, summer winds that can come roaring down Tumwater Canyon when low pressure moves in. I never think, "It can't happen here." We moved here in August '94, when it seemed the entire area was ablaze. I worry for the Chumstick every year. Eastsiders, go find your community in the report... Westsiders, go find your earthquake risk report.... All of us, volcano risk quantified report. Breathe....

[treeswarper]

Thanks for posting. I looked for it, but couldn't find it on line. So, why not just say all of the eastside is burnable? I will read it again, but what I think it says is that towns will burn, which is predictable as towns have burned over and over in the past. Brush doesn't have much to do with that, if the wind is right and buildings are close together, they may burn without the help of brush. What happens to our fire insurance? Will this be an excuse to jack it up? Already folks out in the outskirts cannot get fire insurance. Oh well, we do what we can to mitigate the fire, and go on with iiving--kind of like you said. By the way, there is an earthquake fault in the suburbs of Entiat. It is called Earthquake Point and that is where the Columbia was blocked in the late 1800s. We can shake too.

[DigitalJanitor]

My neighbors have now acquired 4 horses, and they only have a 2 horse trailer. I'll admit my negative reaction to this development is a little extreme, but we've had to throw crap in the truck ahead of a fire twice now since we moved in October 2002, and once darn near got burned out. So. Then again these neighbors house has a foundation half on fill dirt on a super steep slope. How anyone can feel complacent about earthquake here in central WA is beyond me just by looking around at the terrain, much less reading about the Chelan quake. Our place will probably be OK in that event but I've already told the fam we'll be digging through the neighbor's rubble. OTOH the horses will probably make it.

[treeswarper]

And here is this timely article: Fire Mitigation Success Stories