Nice green long grass

The rain has subsided for a while, the weather man says maybe a two week break. We need the rain in California, I wish it rained like this every year. It seems like we are in a permanent drought sometimes, just not enough water even in wet years. The ground is soaked and everything is growing leaps and bounds. It's now time to think about wildfires.

Big fire, little water.

     Wildfires can occur any time of the year in any location, there are many causes, some natural and some not so much. Regardless of how they start, we must be aware that they can, and somewhere will. There are things we can do to prepare and to protect our homes and outbuildings. The tall grass will dry out, it doesn't take much to start it burning. Most wildfires start around 3:00pm, in the afternoon when the sun is hottest. Clear the weeds, rubbish and wood piles (my nemisis) away from buildings, clear wood fences, dead trees and keep coniferous trees watered. To read Fema's suggestions click here.
     My neighbor had a big pine tree next to her house when her neighbors house caught on fire. I had watched her spraying this big tree with water, every day for about 2 weeks. I asked her why she was doing that, her reply was "it washes the pollen off and it helps her alergies. Little did she know that most likely saved her life. At 2:ooam when the fire started she was in zories (flip flops) and a night gown. She ran up her walkway with a garden hose to save the house, wow, be careful with that. I had visions of that tree exploding in flames, she was 5 feet from it, lucky it didn't. But was it luck, I'm not sure, it ended up the tree was so wet it wouldn't burn, I was amazed and frightened it might have. Unintentionally she saved her own life, it was a huge fire, 3 houses burned, 2 to the ground.
     Clear the weeds from around your house, it wll keep the flames from contacting it directly. Keep all of your important papers in a fireproof safe, or on a thumb drive.

Place valuable's in a fireproof safe, lessen the worry.

Get an emergency evacuation kit set up, one for your pets as well. Keep a carrier handy for smaller animals, the large livestock need special planning. Have an out of state telephone number as a contact for family members, make cards to carry in wallets with emergency information on it. If there is a suggestion to evacuate, take it seriously, some will leave some won't, it's a very important decision. Keep fuel in your vehicles at all times, water, food and shelter in the trunk in a bag. The old sing song is if you plan for something it won't happen, if you don't it will, it's happened to me. We should all start thinking about what precautions to take in the early spring to prepare for wildfire.

I'd like to hear your comments and input, do you live in an area prone to wildfires? What would you pack in an evacuation kit?
Thanks for reading jimandkate
emergencykitsplus.com