The California Wild Fires continue to burn, there is one big thing we can address to reduce them, find out what it is here.

The Wild Fires continue to burn in California, Northern and Southern California are both affected. I was sitting outdoors for about 1/2 hour, the air was very heavy causing me to return to the house. The causes of wildfires are numerous, rock slides, lightning strikes, and the most common human, either accidental or arson. The investigation of the causes of the fires currently in California will take several weeks, then a few more for the reports to be released to the public. Right now the cause is not important, the human suffering is and it needs to be addressed first, and it is.
 

October 9, 2017 NASA photo. 

  I read a news article in "Vox" news (Link) outlet titled "California's wildfires aren't "natural"-humans made them worse at every step." The writer continues on writing about the impact of urban sprawl and the density of structures being built.
  I have thought about the same issue, not only as it relates to wildfires but to flooding and water sources as well. I am in view of the "Diablo Range" of mountains, this range stretches from Suisun Bay to the Grapevine, approximately 400 miles to the south. The foothills are protected from the building, which means a lot of new home construction is in a "flood" zone, (Link to FEMA's flood map products) As the flatlands leading up to the foothills get closer they rise in elevation, much of that land is above the floodplain. The land is not any cheaper in the floodplain, but there is a lot of it and it's mostly flat, making building on it very attractive, so we do. I believe there are a number of people of whom do not realize they live in a flood zone, especially if it's a 500-year flood prediction. Above a 500 year occurrence, no flood insurance is needed, below that number and flood insurance must be purchased, it doesn't make much sense to me, but that's how the rules are written. All flood insurance is provided by the federal government, and they would like to get out of the disaster insurance business. Upon purchase of a house in the disclosures, it will be stated if the home is in a floodplain and if flood insurance is required, if it is required it is mandatory to purchase. Only if a loan is taken out on the house, if not or if it is in a 500 year+ flood plain flood insurance is not required. The flood zones are written by FEMA, and these zones are what the lenders refer to for addition of the amount of insurance which is added to the payment and affects being qualified for the loan. Sometimes people are disqualified due to the amount of insurance required due to the monthly costs added to the loan. Throughout the country, many homes are built on floodplains every year. If there is a major flood in California there will be a lot of homes underwater, we are fortunate to have a very good flood control system in the form of dams. It would be nice to be able to build above the flood zones, but that introduces a water problem of a different variety, Potable water.
  On the California central coast, the City of Cayucos, a building moratorium was enacted ending the construction of new homes due to the lack of water. That is the reason it is possible to purchase ocean front property for $25,000.00. Water may not be available for anywhere from 20-100 years or more, there is just not enough water to support more homes. They have a water meter "priority" list which ends after the number 800, properties with a water meter number are worth more, but that does not create more water, they are merely on a list. Water is a huge issue no matter where a person lives in this state, Mark Twain said: "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over." Politicians are more than willing to take water away from one area of the state and send it South where there is none.
 

Cayucos California, South of San Simeon, North of Morro Bay it's a great
little beach town, while you're there visit the commune of "Harmony"
California, south on highway 1. 

  Where can construction be done in California? I don't think it can change much, every spot in the state has a reason for houses not to be built. Wildfires in California are not predictable on the occurrence or where they occur, and the water issues will be solved if and when a new source is discovered. What if we built houses somewhere else and imported people to their jobs? Should people be restricted from building in forested areas due to the fire threats? How about the flood zones throughout the country, 9.6 million households are in floodplains in the United States. 53% of the population of the U.S. live on the Eastern, Western and Gulf Coast, as well as along the Great Lakes and the major rivers. People want to live near the water, and we do, unfortunately, floods are a fact of life in these areas. Causing $3-5 billion each year in damages, floods are our countries most common and biggest natural disasters. Since 1935 $25 billion has been spent on flood control projects, $100 million annually on planning and technical assistance.
  Can we stop building in wildfire areas? I don't think so, but there is one big thing we can do that would impact the number of fires we experience each year. We need to stop starting them, 85% of all California Wildfires are started by an arsonist. We need to just stop, easier said than done, that is a step further than prediction, it is the prediction of "Who" is going to start one. Of these arson-caused fires, insurance claims are a major motivation, anger is another major motivator. The estimate is 10 of the fires burning in Northern California are arson caused, however, investigations must be completed before arson is proved. very little is known about arsonist because very few arson fires are solved. It is known that most arsonist who have been profiled have had a below-normal IQ, typically between 70 & 90, 25% are below a 70 IQ range, qualifying them as Mentally disabled. That's not to say all people in those ranges are an arsonist, in fact, arson is one of those situations that a small percentage of people cause a huge problem. About 90% of arsonist are White Males, motivated usually for profit. One-half of all arsons are committed by people under the age 18, the other half is normally in their late 20's. These statistics are from a 1987 report in the FBI Law enforcement bulletin, it's a dated report, however, I don't believe it has changed very much since then. On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, California authorities released a sketch of a white man believed to be in his late 20's, seen by witnesses starting a fire. As I keep saying we must wait until the investigators complete their investigations before placing blame. The first cause was noted to be Electrical Utility lines, the possible causes are being listed and investigated. Now to qualify what I have written, these numbers were compiled from interviews of the arsonist that were caught, the smart ones may have gotten away as most arsonists do. In fact, because so few are apprehended an accurate profile of an "average" arsonist cannot be built. Some of the other reason's arsonist starts fires are:

1) Revenge, physical and emotional abuse.
2) Excitement, relief from boredom perhaps.
3) Thrills, is this what motivated the fires along the Columbia River in Oregon?
4) Sexual stimulation, rarer but a recognized motivator.
5) Fire Play, normally by pre-puberty children, it is outgrown.

National Arson Awareness Week Media Kit Link.
 

4 days ago, Northern California's firestorm. 50+ mph winds.
It is so very sad. 

 
 Can we stop building in hazard areas? No, I don't think so, we've drastically reduced flooding with dams, canals, and pumping, compared to the early 20th-century flooding has been greatly reduced. Fire areas? No, we should not stop building in these areas either, the bigger question is "What can be done to control arson?" Arson is the 800-pound gorilla when it comes to California Wild Fires.
  Thanks for reading and sharing, if you live in a wildfire area and see someone starting a fire, get as much information as possible quickly and get in touch with the authorities, take pictures if possible, don't let the perpetrator see you.
jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com