17 Wildfires in California the sky is full of smoke people are dying and my neighbor is mad about being cited to cleanup.

When under the threat of wildfire, the best advice is to "Run," it's too late to talk about what should have been done before it started, now is the time to survive, Run.

Two days ago, the Carr fire 154 square miles burned so far. 

17 wildfires are burning in California as I write this, I know several people affected by them. The human suffering is immense, and that is the real story, as usual, the story of the people. Some of the sufferings defy words, others make me realize I have no real problems in this world, and some inspire sympathy beyond imaginations. A phone call, offers to help with everything, and opening our home to someone that needs refuge, what more can there be?

We have two daughters, a son, and six grandchildren 50 miles south of the Ferguson fire near Yosemite, the smoke is taking a toll on them. We have friends that just bought a house near the fire currently burning near Clear Lake in Northern California, and we have a friend in Redding 15 miles East of the Carr Fire, his grandsons have been under an evacuation alert for three days, his daughter already evacuated. My neighbor lives in San Francisco, he owns the lot next door, he and his wife came to clean the weeds, and eliminate the danger of fire.

All of California is in this condition, even up high in the Mountains.

The weeds and grass are high, standing up to 4 feet bone dry waving in the 9-20 mile per hour winds. Bone dry tinder, ripe to receive a spark, cigarette butt, or heat from a broken down car, it ignites instantly. Over the weekend I saw two fires start in the mountains to the west of the house, I did not have to leave the chair I work out of. Neither of those fires grew into a huge monster, but each one destroyed at least one home. The owners of those homes are every bit as distressed as the people in the mega-fires, they all have lost everything. We can go over lists and plans, evacuation routes, radio stations, and what to grab to take with us. We can talk about what we should do, what we should have done, and what we need to do now, but the reality is we need to leave fast when a fire is approaching.

I write a lot about preparing for the fire season, sometimes during the time the wildfires are burning, but most of the time during the rainy season. Writing about the need to construct a fire-safe zone around our houses, laying in supplies to grab on our way out, and advice on phone calls, water, and being self-reliant when faced with that disaster. I watch the nightly news and attempt to understand the disaster, and the human suffering, being removed from the fires there is no way to be able to relate.

How in the world can a person relate to the Grandfather whose wife and two grandchildren perished in the fire? This man is the same age as I am, I can identify with him to a certain extent. He appears to be a gruff old guy, rough around the edges, tough, self-reliant and dedicated to his family, all traits I claim also. I can't imagine being in his shoes, everything is OK, then one hour later it isn't, his entire life was changed. It makes me realize I don't have a problem in the world in comparison.

It is incredibly bizarre to me when people complain about being cited by the county, building inspector, or fire department, it doesn't matter who cites them. Weekenders, investors, and property owners all get cited alike, every year, I see it as a reminder. When I owned property in the central valley it had to be cleared yearly, I would sometimes be cited as well, even though I kept it cut down all of the time. No one has to call and report anyone in wildfire country, the county comes around on their own, writing citations and sending them to property owners. Most owners receive the notice and take a weekend to clean their lot up, some hire a tractor, gardener, or neighbor kid to plow, run a weed-eater, or mow. Still, others perform the task themselves, it is hard exhausting work, I've done it a lot of times. Then there are those who get angry because they were cited, they begin to blame whoever is handy, it can't be their fault someone had to tell. They could not be further from the truth, I have rarely heard of someone calling the fire department on a neighbor to "report" them, however, some people say it is widespread. Such was the case this weekend, I was accused of calling the county and complaining about my neighbor, then requesting they be cited.

I wonder what his thoughts are.

Why in the world would I do that? Why would I think it was needed? I know the county inspects all year round, they are by the house at least twice a day, I live on a dead end road in the country. We live in wildfire country, the people that own the property are in wildfire country, it seems they would want to protect themselves. I saw the lot, I saw the weeds, and I know all too well the impending dangers, but I knew the notices were coming and it's best to let it happen. For many of these people, their properties are an investment, they buy riverfront property dreaming of the day it is worth a fortune and they can collect a big payday. The reality for other people, like me, is this is my home I don't care what it is worth I want to live here the rest of my life. Everything I have is in this house, everything I will have is in this house, my legacy is this house, I'm here to stay. They, on the other hand, are driven by money, not caring if they ever see the place again, these are the people that should hire someone to care for it. If that lot caught fire it has the potential of starting a major fire. Spreading to my house which is North of the fence, I have a zone of 20 feet between the house and it. catching the house on fire is a possible consequence. To the South is another house, built of Cedar, the owners take impeccable care of it, they also have a safe zone. So where is the problem? The overgrown fire hazard between us, no one called the county, should we have? No, I knew they would be cited and they were, so what was expected of us, the neighbors, to do that would not have irritated the owners of the lot. I suppose I could have called them, That's been done before, typically they still get mad about it, who are we to tell them to clean up their lot. If I were to call anyone it would have been them, I've called them to tell them of prowlers and the potential of squatters, but not clean up. I pay to have their waterfront kept clean, I don't want them to be cited because an emergency vehicle is unable to pass through, that is a big fine and it's important for me to do that. I keep watch on their place to make sure squatters, burglars, and curiosity seekers are kept out also calling the sheriff when there is a problem. We are under the threat of wildfires and all this guy is concerned with is someone ratting him out, that to me is unbelievable.

He was cited because he doesn't keep his firetrap cleaned up, there is no other reason, no one reported him. I would think the guy would lift his head up, and realize the amount of human suffering that is going on around us, but I suppose he sees his "problem" as being much larger than anyone else's, someone reported him.

Thanks for reading and sharing, I'm distressed about the fires causing so much misery for so long to so many innocent people, and I am upset because some people can't or won't see it. Thanks again.

jacquesandkate EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Ferguson, Carr, Steele, wildfire disasters lets talk about what to do before, during and after the disasters.

Redding California 8 hours ago.

We have another major wildfire burning tens of thousands of acres in one of the most scenic areas of the state, it has been dubbed the Carr Fire, it is also one of the hottest. I spoke with a friend who lives in Redding, I didn't know what he would have to say or what conditions he and his family are confronting. My intent was to check on him to offer his family and him a place to pitch his tent if he was under an order to evacuate. Disasters are widespread in California, almost everyone I have spoken with has a connection to every incident that takes place. It is a small world, we're lucky to have such good reliable communications. I'm not sure how comforting a telephone call is especially during trying times, but sometimes that is all a guy has.

We never know where a wildfire will start, but we expect the firefighters to be there to fight them.

The Carr fire West of Redding California had scorched 40,000 acres as of last night when I went to bed, doubling in size to 80,000 acres upon waking up this morning. (Saturday, July 28, 2018) This fire is another Northern California monster it is on the same scale of the fires that took place last year that destroyed Santa Rosa. Residents of both cities had to flee without notice, these fires travel and spread rapidly. The latest report of the number of people evacuated is at this moment 38,000, with more most likely. My friend Joe and his wife live on acreage East of Interstate 5, 15 miles from the blazing inferno. His two Grandsons are on an evacuation alert, his daughter and son in law are amongst the 38,000 abandoning their homes. Joe is not in danger right now, but as with all wildfires conditions change rapidly, he is retired and disabled. He is not one to worry about, a concern is a correct mindset, it's important to offer support and a place to stay. He told me where he lives there is no wind, 15 miles away at the fire-line the wind speed is 20 miles per hour, top wind speed 80 mph.

Wildfires create their own wind, gusting up to 80 miles per hour and creating fire tornadoes with higher velocities. Blowing garage doors off, roofs were torn apart, and pieces of the structure being flung many tens of yards away. It's hard to imagine a tornado of flames strong enough to do that sort of damage, it is the worst of many worlds. A number of the residents start running their lawn sprinklers before they evacuate setting them on the roof of their houses, and others saturating the area surrounding their homes. It makes a big difference, having saved many of those places.

The Ferguson Fire 24 hours ago.

Joe told me that is the accepted practice, he is set up for that scenario, his grandsons started theirs when the warning to evacuate was issued. It has saved countless homes, it is most effective at those residences that had created a safety zone around their properties. A fire-resistant zone constructed around their homes by eliminating all weeds, wood piles, and flammable debris with a distance of 30 feet to form a parameter. The weeds, when left unattended grow to between two and four feet high during the winter rainy season, when the rain stops, is when the problems begin. Drying out to almost zero moisture level makes a situation that encourages the start of a fire. When dried brush, manzanita, pine, and deciduous trees are added into the equation it is an impossible situation to predict. Prediction of direction, and wind speed change by the minute leaving the affected people with little idea in which direction is the safest to escape.

Such was the case when a Great-Grandmother and her two grandchildren were on a walk when the fire started, trapping them in the woods. Their bodies were found today after searching for two days, they did not make it back to their home becoming confused in the smoke. It is not surprising that evacuees would become confused, the fires burn in confusing ways due to creating their own environments. I'm not sure what could have been done in that short of a notice by a grandmother and three young ones, but there are some things we can do in advance.

Before the threat.

* Most communities have a warning system, sign up for it and you will be alerted via an app on your cell phone. Other alerts are provided by the Emergency Alert System (Link). and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on their Weather Radio provide alerts as well. (Link)

*Communities also have evacuation plans providing instructions for several ways to exit the area, practice driving the routes paying attention to shelter locations. They will also have suggestions pertaining to planning for taking care of livestock and pets.

They are there when we need them, we need to be there for them.

*Purchase respirators, goggles, and emergency supplies, breathing the smoke-filled air has the potential of ending a persons life. Include pet planning, medications, and asthma needs.

* Choose a room and make it so it can be closed off from the outside environment, close windows and doors. The purchase of a portable air cleaner may be in order to maintain indoor smoke levels to a safe level when that threat presents itself.

* Keep all important paperwork and documents in a high quality, fireproof, safe. Protect digital copies with a password and cloud storage.

* When making repairs or renovations to the home us fire-resistant materials.

* Set up a water system with a hose that is capable of reaching every area of your home and property.

* Clear a fire-resistant area around your home free of leaves, debris, and flammable materials for a distance of a minimum of 30 feet from your home.

* Make sure your homeowners' insurance is up to date.

* Stay up on air quality alerts.

Survival during the event

* If told to evacuate do so immediately when alerted by the authorities.

* Keep your cell phone charged. If you become trapped call 911 making sure to give your location, turn outdoor lights on, or some other unique signal such as a parked car with the emergency flashers on. The expectation of delays from the emergency response teams is warranted, there will be a lot of distressed residents.

* Listen to the emergency alert radio stations and alert systems.

* Have your respirators, goggles, and emergency kits at the ready, load them in your vehicle to enable a rapid escape.

* Stay indoors in smokey environments exist, close all windows and stay inside a safe spot, if that is not possible to go to a community building, the smoke levels will be lower.

* Maintain at least 1/2 tank of fuel in your vehicle.

* Create a flyer with a picture of your family members with your pets, after the fire it will make finding a lost pet easier.

Advice to remain Safe after the wildfire is over:

* Authorities will advise you when it is safe to return home, if utilities are back on and if the water is safe to drink.

* There will be, smoke, burned trees, hot smoldering debris, as well as embers still glowing red. Peat deposits may still be burning underground, creating hot spots that may start another fire.

* Take care of your pets, cats will often hide versus running off, many times they will remain close to their known home, unlike dogs. Pet dogs panic when they are let out in such a situation, running fast, far, and long the cherished members of the family are never to be seen again in the majority of cases.

* Establish an out of town contact number for all members of the family to contact, cell phone lines will be jammed for local calls, out of state will not be. Text messages may be more successful due to them taking up less transmitting space.

* Wear your respirator, hat, gloves, and goggles, when around the ash-covered areas. Wetting down the area to cut down dust is advised.

Wet everything down when returning home, wear a respirator,
goggles, hat, and gloves.

* Take a lot of photographs and videos, contact your insurance company they will assist you.

* Take notice of the possibility of flooding, after a wildfire there is not any vegetation to control run-off from rain or melting snow. If you don't have flood insurance determine if it would be wise for you to purchase it.

Unfortunately, wildfires have become a common occurrence to us in the Western United States, they do occur in every state, however. As I have been writing this more wildfires have started to add to the several that are currently burning, the new one is in NAPA, the Steele fire as it has been named, it started at 4:30 this afternoon. It is only 10% contained and in this short time 3 homes have already burned down. The Ferguson fire near the Southern Gate of Yosemite is raging, my daughter lives 50 miles South of it and went to the emergency room, she was determined to be suffering from a severe respiratory infection. There are too many happening right now to mention them all in any detail, in fact, one started 5 miles south of me near the only road out of this area. If that were to turn into a major fire we would have to shelter in place. Luckily we are prepared for it.

(Link to FEMA's planning templates)

The sky is filled with smoke again this summer, blocking out the sun it lowers the temperature as if that is any kind of comfort to the victims' many miles away. During the past week, I have seen two fires start without any more effort than turning to my left and looking out my window towards the west. Neither was nearly as large as the ones burning now, but they are every bit as devastating to the people that have lost everything. I am not sure if there is a solution to this mess we are in, if it's the "new normal", we're going to go broke fighting them. I have a hard time imagining how the insurance companies will be able to finance all of the repairs and rebuilds. Mostly I am concerned about how long FEMA will be able to honor their commitments for Hurricanes, Flooding, Tornadoes, and all of the other catastrophic events of our now new modern existence.

Thanks for reading and sharing, I am distressed and concerned about my friends and family members scattered all over the country. I suspect you like I have friends or family in most of the disaster areas, it is a smaller world than we suspect. I am going to call everyone I know today, whether they are in an affected area or not, just to make sure they are alright, let's all do that. Thanks again.

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

Blackouts are caused by natural events, the weather is acting up I'm thinking about getting ready for winter, already.

Take it from the closet and place it next to the door.

I was on the Levee by a neighbors house and saw what I thought were raccoons turning the sod and weeds over looking for grubs, it was the squirrels digging holes 6-8 inches in diameter 2-3 inches deep. I have seen Skunks and Possums make holes like that, this was the first time I saw squirrels digging them. I began to tell my neighbor about it, he cut me off and related an incident that happened to him earlier in the day. He was on the Levee when suddenly he heard a bunch of chattering from a gang of red squirrels, loud and near to him. Suddenly about six squirrels ran to the ground and faced him chattering, wagging their tails and jumping around, then they attacked! He said that they approached so close he was almost ready to start kicking them away, he didn't, the little beast backed off, he left them to their weirdness. The only thing I can think of is they are preparing for a long cold wet winter, but that's not what the ducks, geese, and mud hens are telling me. I'm thinking now maybe a mild winter up North and brutal in the Southwest, I'm not sure what's going on with the birds either. It has started my thinking motor up, I wonder how much preparation I should be doing for this winter which appears to be upon us so soon.

Conspirators, planning their next move. They are most likely
making final preparations for stripping my apple tree.

A new wildfire started on the far side of the mountains impacting Clayton a small town in the western Diablo Range foothills. It started at 3:30 pm yesterday afternoon, the summer is halfway through and unfortunately, there will be more. Being one of the threats in our area along with a possible Levee breach, Earthquakes, and droughts inspiring many of us to be vigil. It's none of those events that has captured my thoughts today however, I'm thinking more of the possibility of an enormous amount of rainfall.

Rainfall was heavy during the winter of 2016-2017, another so close to it would be a rather rare occurrence, but with the way the weather has been behaving I am expecting something. Something in the way of frigid weather, extremely high wind storms, or a heavier than usual snow buildup in the Sierras. Each of those has the potential of being a serious natural event, and each may bring the electrical service to a halt. Most of the time living without power is a short-lived experience, sometimes as Puerto Rico has experienced, it is out for a much longer period of time. It seems unlikely we could experience a 6-month blackout, but it is entirely possible, although I am unable to think of an incident that could cause one. Realistically a one week to a one-month event is more likely, with one week being entirely possible. FEMA and most other Government agencies that focus on natural and man-made disasters recommend having supplies for a 3 day period. My recommendation is a bit different, but this is also if we are able to stay in our homes.

Having enough food, water, and clothing for 3 days is a reasonable amount to have on hand, in fact, a lot of homes normally have one week of groceries in the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator. One-half gallon per day per person is the normal amount of water recommended to keep on hand. The food in the freezer will survive for three days, most of it will remain frozen just make sure the door is kept closed. Refrigerated food is different depending upon how long it has been in the fridge before the outage started. One of the first things to do is to ascertain what foods have exceeded their storage life, cooked chicken is one of those foods. Any suspicious entrees should be disposed of, it is not worth the chance of becoming seriously ill. The food in the pantry will survive, pasta, canned beans, and dehydrated foods will be fine. In our pantry there is enough oatmeal to feed 20 people for two weeks, probably without milk, but oh well. A three-day survival is not tough to accomplish, of course, water is one of the main concerns. But why be prepared for such a short amount of time? Why not a bit longer?

One week of food isn't much. I don't see any
Oatmeal.

It makes sense to me to have on hand supplies to last one week, we have the food in the house, remember this is if we are sheltered in place. A three-day kit has items such as a dynamic radio, flashlight, candles, and water for that short amount of time. We will still need a source of heat to prepare meals, a camp stove, propane single burner, or an outdoor grill will all answer to the service. Doubling the amount of the three-day kit will get us to 6 days, that's simple, the addition of one case of 24 bottles of water in pints will extend a one person 3-day supply to seven days. It makes sense to add water to extend the life of the kit. Water is easy to fit into the normal rotation of supplies in the house, buy a new case every week while grocery shopping and using one from the reserve will keep the stock in the rotation. It is adding more water that will set us up for a longer event, I would bet most of us have at least one case on hand most of the time.

I'm fortunate, we are on a shared well system, our water is not potable, requiring us to have drinking water on hand at all times. We have a reverse-osmosis system in the kitchen but it will be rendered useless during a power outage. We have between 5 and 15 gallons at all times, a water cooler normally has a bottle in it. A family of four requires 4 cases of water for one week's supply of drinking water only, that is not for flushing the toilet or sanitation such as washing dishes. We could easily add an enormous amount of equipment, porta-potty, portable showers, and huge water storage systems, but we won't in this blog. When we begin to talk about that sort of gear we begin to talk about a lifestyle change, most people merely want the lights to come back on, they aren't interested in a cultural disturbance. In reality, we will have a choice to make, we can stay in our homes or drive to a family, friend, or even rent a motel room. If the blackout is preceded with an event that caused it, we may be faced with another entirely different set of choices. But for this, it's just a power outage.

Flushing of toilets, and keeping clean may be a challenge. If the residence is near a source of water the issue is easily resolved, but if water is not available it introduces an entirely new set of issues. Pouring a gallon of water into the open toilet will flush it, use that water for washing hands, and other cleaning first, the detergent will not hurt the throne. If water is not available, a portable toilet is a path to walk, it can be as simple as a 5-gallon bucket, or as involved as a complete sanitary station with a hot water system included. If the later is preferred, do yourself a favor and get a motel or hotel room, life without facilities is in many ways defined as miserable. Especially if there are toddlers, disabled people, or the elderly involved.

Very simple and useful in an emergency. Use a plastic bag
inside the Loo, it makes cleanup easy. I have used swimming
noodles for the seat, they are more comfortable.

Hygiene has other demands, water is not really needed for keeping one clean, disposable wet wipes work great. Using them for washing hands, face, and body is a good alternative, but there again we are getting into how much stuff do you want to keep on hand?

It is estimated that 33% of us are prepared for a short-term event, we are the ones with a kit set up, plan made, and it is practiced. For these people, it is a part of their lifestyle and they may very well be on the way for longer preparations. 33% of us are concerned and "feel" we should get set up for a three-day event, but somehow never get around to it. There are a lot of reasons for it, and I am not one to question it, most of us are dreadfully busy, broke, or don't know where to begin. 33% of us just don't recognize the potential for anything to happen, that is an envious position to take, everything will be just fine. You know what? Most of the time it is, but all it takes is one event of being stranded somewhere to make a believer of some of us.

There are many ways to put the kits together, pre-packaged are available, make one on your own, have a custom-made kit assembled, or merely stock water. Looking on the internet one is able to find hundreds if not thousands of articles suggesting what we should include, the bottom line is it ends up being your choices. Water is always the starting point for me. Many other items can be had at Dollar Stores, Goodwills, and Flea Markets, very little has to be name brand items. It doesn't have to be a large assortment of stuff either, making a list of items we think we would need is the place to start. Candles, matches, and a flashlight, building it up from there will be a snap.

The entire kit is available, or build your own, add a lot more water.

Being ready for a one-week power outage isn't a lot of work, or expense, in fact, most of us will be able to make it just fine with what we have on hand. It is always what comes along with the electrical outage that changes the entire plan. Planning for them is advisable because blackouts always accompany whatever precedes them, and that hurdle we have to take when it comes.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog, winter is still months away, the Hurricane, Tornado, and Wildfire seasons still lurk in the near future. With them comes blackouts, we can prepare for that if nothing else. thanks again.

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

The Duck Boat tragedy and a smaller one I witnessed yesterday, big wind, storms and what we can do to prepare

Taylor Slough is the name of the waterway I live on. The bank is actually a Levee on the California Delta, 1500 miles of waterway that empties into the San Francisco Bay 50 miles to the west. There are a lot of boats going by my window at all times of the day and night, it's a working river and used for recreational purposes as well. We have big winds starting in May and ending the first week of October. Unrestricted the wind originates on the Ocean, it is cool when it enters the Bay. The temperature differential between there and the Central Valley plays a big part in the velocity of the breeze, it's called the "Delta Breeze" in farm country. Today it is 105 Degrees in Fresno, 70 degrees in the Bay causing air to be sucked inland raising to the sky when it hits the hot environment many miles away. That draft is like a fireplace drawing air through a small channel at the Carquinez Straits, South of Vallejo. Whitecaps are not rare, such were the conditions since June 1st.

Taylor Slough on a nice day, no wind, no rain, no danger, maybe.

I watched an inflatable dingy making its' way upwind on the slough, in 15-20 mile an hour winds it is a tricky endeavor. Two adults were on board the seemingly well-constructed craft, I did not see life preservers on either of them. The waves were easily 2-3 feet high, this is big water, white caps, the tide incoming, and high winds are not a good boating condition. One person in the back was stretched out to the bow holding it down, the person on the bow was active with the same tasks. Lifting out of the water every time it hit a wave, the bow caught air on each one. Keeping the bow down appeared to take all of what they were worth, I was concerned. If that boat got cross-wise to the prevailing wind and if a wave lifted up the long side it would have gone over. They were 50 yards from shore, in those conditions survival would have been a big "maybe", it was a bad day to be on the water. The boat continued on, I watched it go around the bend and out of sight about 1/4 mile north, I assume they made it to where ever they were headed. I have not heard about anyone being in distress, or drowning, likewise I have only seen one Helicopter today. Some people's main method of transportation is by water so it is not odd to see people out in all kinds of weather. However an inflatable dinghy in a stiff wind creates problems unique to them, they can easily flip over.

It's easy after the fact to criticize what people have done, when an incident like the one I witnessed yesterday takes place, and also like the terrible incident in Missouri on the Duck Boat. The operators involved in both of these incidents were experienced, neither vessel was designed for the conditions they were faced with. Some blatant safety violations were present, the most notable is the lack of occupants wearing life preservers. On the dinghy in that wind, it was an irresponsible choice to make, and it was made by the two occupants on their own, it is all on them. Aboard the Duck Boat from what I have read the passengers were advised that the personal flotation devices were not needed. Indeed one of the NTSB spokespeople said it would have been a choice of how to drown if they had worn one or not.

It is still dangerous, but these boaters are prepared for it.

More dangerous due to how the top was constructed, when wearing a life preserver on one of the tourist craft, in the event it takes on water and it rises in the compartment people float to the overhead. Lifejackets, when worn, hold the victim against the ceiling keeping them from being able to escape, it's like trying to dive underwater holding onto a beach ball. A good game to play with kids is seeing if anyone of them can submerge the ball, they can't. Once up against the top, a person is held in place, unable to remove the device and unable to swim out, there were windows on the side impeding escape out the sides.

If the choice is made not to wear a PFD, in this case, the passengers were told there was no need for them, it would be possible to swim out of the boat. But it would be a tough task for an expert swimmer, or a boater expecting disaster, to swim into the main body of water without one is a death sentence. A death sentence in those conditions, 4-foot waves, 80 miles an hour winds, and inexperienced swimmers do not make a good combination. It makes me wonder how the determination to continue with a site seeing tour of this type, is it an operating company decision, or a governmental decision?

The decision to continue is ultimately the determination of the operating company, however, the Government does issue warnings. Pleasure boaters must know the meaning of the  issued weather warnings, there are three:

* Small Craft Warning is if the winds are going to sustain 20-30 knots (24-37 mph or 39-54 Km/hr)

* Gale Warning sustainable winds ranging 34-47 knots (39-54 mph or 63-87 km/hr)

* Storm Warning range is 48-63 knots (55-73 mph or 89-117 km/hr)

(The National Weather Service Link issues Marine Forecasts)

If you are boating and are caught in a storm there are some safety issues to pay attention to, it is the responsibility of the operator (commonly referred to as the "Captain").

1) Make sure all passengers are wearing a Personal floatation device, that they know how to use, how to put it on and it is of the proper size.

2) When in a storm reduce your speed, look out for oncoming boats from all directions, keep aware of whats in the water ahead of you. During storms, there is a lot of debris that ends up in the main channels.

3) Secure the boat, close all ports and hatches to avoid taking on water, you do not want to swamp.

4) Passengers should all be on the center-line of the vessel, keeping down to lower the center of gravity.

5) Having a heavy object strike you is not fun in a stressful situation, secure all loose items.

6) Get the water out of the bilges, it will raise the boat in the water.

7) Seek a protection near a safe place, a tree-lined inlet, or an island opposite of the wind.

8) Check your maps continually for sunken hazards, marinas', and anything else that may be a threat or a help.

Paying close attention to the weather is the responsibility of the Pleasure Craft operators, they are the group most likely to be impacted by the sudden emergence of storms, and other weather phenomena. Starting the day before an outing check the weather, and keep checking it before you leave the dock, do not hesitate to cancel. Listen to the forecasts while out on the water, especially if the wind is up and warnings had been off and on the prior week. There are weather courses available for owners of pleasure craft, we don't have to be weather experts, a general understanding will reap a lot of knowledge. It's amazing how during an emergency we fall back on education and training, an online course will pay dividends. Learning how to read a Barometer is important to learn the skill as well. Keeping an eye on the sky is important to use these tips to help you observe the weather:

If a sky such as this is overhead, seek shelter immediately.

1) Track the storm put your back to the wind and point left, that is the direction of the center of the storm.

2) Clouds to the West or North places you in a danger zone the chances are you are in its path.

3) Thunder travels one mile in five seconds, or one kilometer every three seconds, count the seconds from the lightning flash until the boom is heard if it is 5 seconds the storm is 5 miles distant.

4) When the wind changes in a clockwise direction, it may be an indication of fair weather being on its way. Counter Clockwise may be the sign of an incoming storm. There are exceptions, ask at the marina about wind patterns, which way is the prevailing wind being the most prominent to ask.

5) If the wind picks up doubling its speed it also quadruples in strength causing waves and turbulence.

6) While positioning your back to the wind look up for high moving clouds, if they are moving left to right the weather will get worse, the opposite means an improvement, moving away from you indicates no change.

We will never be able to predict every weather situation as it pertains to boating, but we can certainly take some precautions, pre-planning and a bit of education won't hurt a bit. Boating is a double-edged sword, it is fun, as well as dangerous when faced with unexpected circumstances. Personal awareness of your abilities and knowledge of every part of your boat, and what every button, switch, and light means and does is of the utmost of importance. Always wear a PFD that fits properly and you know how to put on, head for a safe harbor, and if you have to abandon the vessel get it as close to shore as possible, even as far as running aground if it means remaining safe. If you are a passenger, question the boat operator if you notice anything that does not appear to be proper, they won't mind explaining it to you. If the answer does not satisfy you, do not go on the excursion.

Living on the river we hear stories every year about boating tragedies, it happens to well-worn experts as well as amateurs. Never underestimate the power of the wind, river, or water. Several years ago a rescue boat was summoned in the middle of the night, the vessel was dispatched with one person aboard. I knew this man, he was a professional, spending almost every day on the rivers. He struck a rock outcropping that he had passed by hundreds of times, killing him instantly. It can and does happen to the best of us, let's not take it lightly.

Thank you for reading and sharing, the Duck Boat tragedy was a terrible occurrence, on a large scale. The inflatable dinghy had the potential of being just as disastrous, we mustn't let either happen to us. Thanks again.

jacqueandkate  EmergencyKitsPlus.com

Residential fires are the most traumatic experiences a person can endure, planning materials are in this blog

A house fire is one of the most traumatic events to occur in a persons life. With little or no advance warnings other than the equipment we install in our homes ourselves, fire gives us a small window to escape. Homes are destroyed by wildfire destruction from outside the structures, as well from inside from unknown sources. In this article, I discuss safety devices most of us have in our homes, escape methods, and preparations we can make upon retiring for our nights' rest. So we shall begin.

A devastating home fire.

There are many devices available to warn us of impending doom, some municipalities have enacted into law some of them. Two, smoke detectors, and CO2 detectors are the most common to be required. A loud fire alarm is a wise choice to make as well.

We will start with smoke detectors, for many years the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code have required as a minimum in each bedroom, or sleeping area have one detector installed inside the room. Requiring one outside each bedroom as well as on every level of the home. Depending upon the size of the residence more may be required, be sure to check with your local planning department. As of July 1, 1994 laws have made it mandatory for all residential properties to have the required number of smoke detectors installed. Rental units leased units, and apartments must have battery operated detectors, installed and maintained by the owners.  Follow this Link to the United States Fire Administration State by State Residential Smoke Alarm Requirements.

This is where smoke detectors should be installed:

* One in every bedroom

* One in the hallways leading up to the bedrooms

* Install at least one on each level of the home

* Mount them on the ceiling 4 inches from the wall.

* If mounted on the walls they must be 4-12 inches from the ceiling.

* Avoid installing them close to drafts, windows, and vents.

Some smoke detectors have non-removable batteries designed to be serviceable for up to ten years, equipped with a "chirp" when the battery is low, replacement of the entire unit is required. Other detectors, and the ones most of us are familiar with come standard with a replaceable battery. Change the battery's each year, many people choose to do so on New Years Day, a handy reminder.

Testing of the detectors should be performed each month by holding down the "test" button, vacuuming them out is recommended. Dust, Cobwebs, and airborne debris will impair the sensitivity of the units, the painting over of them should never be done. Replace the smoke detectors every 10 years, marking the date of installation on the ceiling facing shell is helpful to keep track of the life expectancy.

A Photograph of a typical smoke detector, a real life saver.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors, Laws require for every structure that a permit is issued for new construction on or after July 1, 2008, and having a fossil fuel heater, fireplace, appliance or an attached garage shall have a Carbon Monoxide Detector installed within 10 feet of every bedroom.

More than 10,000 people suffer carbon monoxide poisoning each year needing medical attention, in excess of 450 deaths are blamed on CO2 poisoning. Because of the danger of deaths caused by high levels State Legislatures have adopted laws requiring the installation of CO2 monitors. Not all of the laws are consistent across state lines, ranging from requiring one in each room with a smoke alarm in them to only day care centers and group homes in need of them. Checking with State and local laws, rules, and regulations are among the first steps we need to take.

A majority of States have since March 2018 enacted laws requiring Carbon Monoxide Detectors, 11 have announced new regulations pertaining to them to be enacted at various times. 

+Alaska requires them to be installed in all dwellings and be approved by the fire marshall.

+ Connecticut, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Florida, and West Virginia all require CO2 Monitors in all new construction.

+ Minnesota requires them in motor boats.

+ California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, and Maryland, passed laws requiring them installed in school buildings.

+ Fourteen states make them mandatory in Hotels and Motels.

Follow this link to a list of Carbon Monoxide Detector information.

These are some actions to take when the smoke alarm goes off, exit your home quickly, you could have guessed that, crawl close to the floor keeping under the smoke. Leave everything behind, we have just a few minutes to evacuate, many times less than a minute. Once you are outside the structure, do not go back inside, go to your family gathering spot and ensure everyone is safe, do not return to the house.

If the alarm in the hallway sounds off, feel the door, if it is hot do not open it. Roll up a towel, sheet, or other fabric and block the smoke coming in from under the door. If the door is opened there is a chance the fire will come roaring in towards you. If you do have to open it stand to the side, then immediately drop to the floor and crawl out down the hallway. It there is a window in the room open it rapidly and climb out if you are on the ground floor jump to the outside surface and run away from the structure. If you live in a multi-story dwelling, and the bedrooms are upstairs, each should have a means of escaping safely. Safety ladders are available for 2-3 and 4 story homes, they attach to the window sill and are very stable. If a ladder (Link to purchase a ladder) or a fire escape stairway in an apartment is utilized we must practice using them. If you are in an upper level and have no way out, draw attention to yourself out the window. A wet cloth held over your mouth, nose, and eyes will enable you to breathe through the basic filter.

There are some tasks we can perform to prepare for a home fire.

1) Every night before we climb into bed, lay out a set of clothes, socks, shoes, pants, and a shirt, lay them out next to our beds. If there is not enough time to get dressed, PUT YOUR SHOES ON,  do not attempt to escape a burning home barefooted. If nothing else gather up the clothing in your arms and make a hasty exit.

2)  Make a plan, it is serious business and the more variables you have the more detailed it should be. Allowances for elderly, handicapped, and youngsters must be addressed, make the plan with all members of the household having input. Don't write a plan alone, then foist it upon the family, they may not accept it fully without input.

3) Practice your plan, all members need to know where the muster point shall be, who to contact (we need telephone numbers), Pets need to be taken care of. There is a lot of issues that must be paid attention to.

4) If medication is left behind, do not run back in to fetch it, your doctor will assist us in refilling the prescriptions, nothing is more important than you and your family being safe.

5) It's dangerous for us to grab a garden hose and begin to extinguish the fire, a 3/4 inch water hose is not a match for a towering infernal. Leave the firefighting to the experts, we can not put it out.

We will only get in the way, make cookies and give them to the
firefighters tomorrow.

4 years ago my neighbors' houses burned down, two completely to the ground and one severely damaged, if the wind was in its normal prevailing direction my house would have been destroyed as well. It happened at 2 am, our neighbor called and reported: "Peters house is on fire!" Looking out the window the flames outlined the house 75 feet away, the flames were 75 feet high. One house was fully engulfed the second had just begun to catch fire to be consumed within 15 minutes. The third house, next door, was beginning to engage, my neighbors were out there in their nightclothes with a garden hose in their hands. She was in flip-flops and a sheer type of nightgown, standing between a pine tree and her house with the towering infernal within 25 feet of her. I imagined that Scotch Pine lighting up like a torch, taking her with it.

Earlier that week I had watched her spraying that tree down with water, she had been doing it for about three weeks every day. I asked her one day why she was doing, her reply was that the tree was full of pollen and she was washing it off finding it helped her allergies. It made perfect sense to me, I suffer from hay fever as well.

I am convinced if she had not soaked that tree it would have burst into flames and most likely she would have met her fate, I still shudder when I think of it. I have been involved in many different types of serious fires, having extensive firefighting training I know how dangerous it is for untrained or for that matter trained people to attempt to extinguish a fire. Do not attempt to put out a house fire with a garden hose, I was not employed as a firefighter. I always had jobs that it was expected of us to accept firefighting training and be active when they occurred.

A home fire is my foremost fear, we always have houseguests, I'm not joking when I say we have had visitors for the past 20 years with few weekends to ourselves. We make sure the people staying with us inform us of their coming and going, we live in an area that is near a tourist attraction. Our home is on pylons, or stilts if you will, bedrooms are on the second deck and the bottom floor. It is important in a residence like ours that we know who is where, some of these people are young, and some old. I'm handicapped, my wife is often gone, if a fire were to break out I would have to hurry three floors down to alarm them to get out. If they are not there, I will be risking my life and I don't care to do that if it is not needed. It may be a good practice for you as well if you have circumstances limiting mobility, or if it is a long way to roist people up to evacuate. All of these contingencies need to be in our planning, and they need to be practiced.

(Follow this Link to FEMA's home fire escape plan materials)

Well here's to hoping none of us experience a fire of any sort, but if we do I hope this article has inspired some of us to prepare as well as we can for it. Make a plan, practice it, lay out a set of clothes every night, and don't attempt firefighting with a garden hose, leave it to the experts. Thanks for reading and sharing, please leave a comment with a story or an experience you have had. Thanks again!

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

Blue-Green Algae predictions of an oncoming bloom, exposure symptoms of animals and human health threats

During a 100 degree, F. (38 C) summer day relief is often sought with a dive in the river, 70F (21C) at the surface. A depth of 3 feet presents 55F (13C) water engulfing a person's entire being, relief is instant and chilling. There is plenty of vegetation in our slough, at times it collects for a few months in low flow areas. Bends in the river, against the levees, and jammed between docks, Tules, Lilypads, and algae will gather. There are so many different weeds, and aquatic plants it is impossible to tell what is safe and what is dangerous. Many times I have looked over the surface studying the growth looking for the "Blue Green" algae, it's toxic to most mammals. For those of us with a compromised immune system, Doctors orders are to stay out of the rivers, sloughs, and off river bijous, River people are connected to the waterway, the tides, currents, animals, and weather conditions are a part of our make up. I believe all river people hold these same thoughts, we love living on the rivers, and when it is sick, so are we. This is a discussion on one of those illnesses, the threats almost invisible, often ignored. Let's talk about it.

I originally suspected the background may have been Blue-Green
Algae, I investigated and was unable to make that determination.
I have decided it is best to just stay out of the water.

We experience algae blooms quite often in the sloughs and backwaters, two areas here are currently being warned to avoid the water. One is an affluent area, 10 miles to the South of our island community, the other is 2 miles to the West. The residential area up to 50 years ago was a catfish farm, there are a lot of inlets and bays. The other is a County Park on a large inlet on the river which is the home of a boat marina. Both have a slow current, at times it is extremely slow to the point of near stagnation, allowing the vegetation to collect along the shoreline and against boat docks. Some sloughs have a healthy current, however, that does not make them completely immune as the debris still gathers in slow current spots.

Cyanobacteria, well known as "Blue Green Algae" is a photosynthetic bacteria often referred to as "Pond Scum". Brown, Blue-Green, Blue, Green, Reddish-Purple are the rainbow of colors it takes on. Growing in slow-moving nitrogen or phosphorus rich streams, lakes, ponds, and swamps. It will grow rapidly when the environmental conditions are just right. Most of the growths are lighter than water and will float to the surface forming mats or large rafts of scum, known as a blue-green algae bloom, May through October is the prime time for the blooms to occur, but in Wisconsin, some blooms have been seen during the winter, under the ice. Three commonly detected species Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, and Planktothrix, it is not always the same species to grow in any given waterway, the dominant species can and often does morph during the course of the summer.

Unlike many aquatic weeds, such as "Duckweed", Blue Green Algae is not consumed by water animals or organisms, it does not make up any part of the food chain other than being classified as a "primary producer", a living organism that converts sunlight and inorganic chemicals into energy to be used by other living organisms. Algae is high energy food for large organisms such as zooplankton, which is eaten by small fish. They are in turn eaten by larger fish they are then a source of food for large predators like humans, raptors, and raccoons. Blue-Green Algae is not consumed by any of these animals.

This is a poor choice if the water looks like this, I suggest
staying out of it.

Known as "Blooms" the accumulation of algae will discolor water, smells bad, tastes foul, and forms scum pads, causing oxygen depletion and ultimately kills fish.

*The Blue Green Algae thrives in environments where nitrogen and phosphorus are concentrated enough to support growth, but the nitrogen to phosphorus concentration is low.

*The water stagnates, low turbulence and the mixing of water is absent.

*Warm weather is stable for at least one week, but it may also bloom during cold weather.

*Sunlight as with other vegetation is vital to the growth of the plant.

(Follow this Link to the EPA's paper on harmful algae blooms)

The blooms hang around for weeks, sometimes months, as far as our slough is concerned it starts in late May and finally sinks to the bottom in late July and early August. We have an ally on our side, the wind blows relentlessly from May through August, windy conditions have a tendency to mix the water causing turbulence which disrupts the algae growth cycle. The bloom eventually dies causing a new set of issues.

When the Algae dies the cells begin to "leak" if it is a species that produces toxins they will be released into the water. Once released the toxins can remain for several months until they decompose and finally are no threat.

The danger is during this period with the potential for causing health problems for people, pets, livestock, and wildlife that drinks or otherwise comes in contact with the toxic water. Symptoms include skin and eye irritations, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and cramps. Swimming in the water presents an opportunity for infection-causing medical harm and often an emergency. Blue-Green Algae may cause:

*Human health concerns

*It is able to kill livestock

*Kills fish

*Causes foul odors

*Makes the water for storage, drinking, or recreation unusable.

*Increases the costs of water treatment

*impacts wildlife and domestic animals with illness, and occasionally leads to their demise.

The cows must have water, if not they leave the pasture looking
for it.

It is a particular threat to dogs, they jump in the water to chase a ball, while in the water they ingest some. Often upon leaving the stream they take a long drink, shake off their coats and begin to lick the toxins off of their fur. Effectively they are exposed numerous times while thinking they are having fun, little do they know. Hunting dogs are at more risk due to their increased exposure to the elements. Symptoms displayed by Cats, Dogs, Horses, Cows, and Birds when exposed moderately and severely:
*Vomiting
*Diarrhea
*Blood, Black, or Tar Scat
*The nose and mouth turns pale
*Jaundice
*Experiences Seizures
*They appear disoriented
*Entry into a Coma
*Go into shock
*Salivation is excessive
*Muscle rigidity, paralysis, and muscle tremors
*Skin and mucous membranes take on a bluish tinge
*Breathing becomes difficult
*Occasionally Death.

Death occurs shortly after periods of exposure due to respiratory paralysis, normally within minutes to hours.

There is no antidote for the toxic exposure if your dog displays the symptoms immediate medical care is imperative. Call your Vet, to get instructions on actions to take.

Algae blooms are created by chemical run-off into lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. Preventing the nutrients from entering our sources of drinking water is the most effective course of action to take. Prediction of a toxic release is difficult to make. Paying attention to the environmental, weather conditions, and oxygen levels of the water are many times effective to provide a warning in advance. When a bloom is predicted, a two-week advance warning has been experienced, cutting off the addition of more nutrients the algae bloom can be reversed. However, it is not a perfect science, if a bloom is predicted health departments will most likely continue to issue warnings to stay out of the water.

People don't always heed the warnings after all most algae are not toxic, and most people and pets do not experience exposure. Humans that are exposed to Blue-Green Algae toxins may become severely ill, death rarely (if ever) occurs, stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes on the skin are the main injuries. The severity of the infection depends upon the exposure, how long it is in contact with the skin, how much is swallowed, and how concentrated the toxins are.

(Follow this Link to the University of Nebraska's paper on Algae)

Dogs are most susceptible to extreme reactions to the toxins of Green-Blue Algae, it is more critical when living next to a body of water. There are times when it is warm outside my dog Skunkpuppy will come up to the house soaking wet. Dripping wet is a sure sign she has taken a swim, that is where the problem is manifested, there is no way she will stay out of the water. She is normally with me all of the time, I am home all day long, but she still slips away and takes a dip. Rinsing off with a water hose may help, however, she has already ingested who knows how much water, so cleaning her off is most likely ineffective. There is no way to look at the vegetation and make a determination of if it is toxic or not, or if the weeds are releasing poisons into the water. If pond scum forms the best preventative measure is to keep the animals away from the water, I see cows drinking it all the time, raccoons swim across the river constantly, and otters are well, otters.

They depend upon us, but man are they hard to keep up with.

Thanks for reading and sharing, if there is scum on the water, do yourself a favor and suffer in the heat, or sit in the shade.

jacquesandkate Emergencykitsplus.com

An explanation of how the California water system works, its Dams, Pumps, Aqueducts and Rivers

I have lived in many areas of the State of California since I arrived here in 1969. I lived in Lemoore and Hanford neighbor cities in the heart of the great San Joaquin Valley. During 1973 I worked with a water well drilling crew, during that time we drilled wells throughout the "west side". The first job I went on was where Highway 198 and 41 intersect at the Southwest corner of the intersection, near the town of Lemoore. I jumped out of the pickup we were in and immediately sunk one foot into the alkali, the ground was covered with it as far as I could see. I was told the reason we were there is a well was needed at that spot to enable the farmer to flood the fields and flush the salt from the soil (Selenium). Eventually, the water and salts went through the "drain" all the way North to the Kesterson Wildlife reserve, where it remains to this day. I will attempt to write this without adding any environmental impact comments, or how water is a political football in this state. It's one of those issues that are hotly debated every place I have lived in California, which is one of the problems. All of the opinions are wrong because one story is told in Southern California, a different one is discussed among the Central Valley Farmers, and a Third completely different version is repeated in Northern California, where I now live. The problems will never be solved until all of the stories are the same, and we begin to have an honest discussion about water in this State.

Typical large water well drilling rig.

A logical place to begin is explaining where the water in California comes from, who uses it, and how it is stored.

The rainy season in California begins in November and ends in April, 200 million acre-feet fall during most drought-free years. Storing the water until it is needed is one of the challenges this state faces, it is one of the most engineered water environments in the world. The majority of rain falls in the Sierras from the center of the state including all of the northern parts of the state. It's a distance from the major urban and farming centers. Closing that distance the central valley project was created, storing the water and transporting it during the times it is needed, there are over 1400 dams in operation making up storage for the California Aqueduct. The engineered watershed runs uphill from the Northern Border as far South as Mexico, it goes right through the Coachella Valley, the Great California Desert. On the project are two major pumping stations, one North of the city of Tracy at the Clifton Forebay and the other North of Tejon pass South of Bakersfield. Splitting into three streams, one forms Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County, another to Castaic Lake in Los Angelos, and the final leg is sent to Silverwood Lake in San Bernadino County. San Luis Reservoir is an "off-stream" storage which backs up behind the San Luis Dam, it's a huge dam on the Eastern slope of the Diablo Range of mountains due West of the City of Los Banos. It has the distinction of being the largest "off-stream" water storage reservoir in the United States.

The Eastern Slope of the Diablo Range has no natural streams, it does get some seasonal rain mostly causing erosion, as enough doesn't fall to create a viable flow. All of the water behind San Luis Dam originates in the San Joaquin/American rivers Delta, 100 miles to the North delivered by the project. A hydro-electric generator is powered by the water being held back, the Giannelli power plant generates123,480 megawatts (total 2009 output). The further South we travel the drier the landscape becomes, along the entire distance of the Diablo Range is mostly desert, 300 miles. It's a desert in the North also, I have a bay window that faces the bone-dry terrain.

San Luis Reservoir, the Dam is the white line.

One-half of the 200 million acre-feet that falls on the state evaporates, is absorbed into the ground, or used by wild vegetation during its hundreds of miles of travel. Some of the water from the river system is used to form a Hydraulic Dam on the Delta at the Cartenize Straights, between Martinez and Vallejo in the Bay Area. Estimates claim 50% of the water in the Delta is sent to the ocean, it very well is although it's not a constant 50%, the pressures from the ocean dictates how much is needed to guard the system against being overrun by sea water.  One of the arguments in the Central Valley is that water should go to the Farmers, it could be done however the salt water would flow into the Central Valley Project to be spread on the fields destroying them forever. If the salt water were to continue south to the three diversions all of them would fill will salt water also, corrupting the water supply for nearly all of California.

A Dam at the Straights would also be a poor choice, the river system carries an enormous amount of silt and debris along with it on it's journey from the hills to the ocean. A Dam in that spot of the river, it is downstream of the confluence of the San Joaquin and the American, would stop the silt, creating a mud flat more than a mile wide and 3 miles long. Continual dredging would be in order, many ocean cargo ships pass there on the way to Cities as far away as Stockton and Sacramento. The silt is contaminated with mercury making disposal tricky at best, the heavy metal is just now making its way into the Delta's waterways (1500 miles of river) originating in the gold fields the 49er's worked on in the middle of the 19th century. Dams silt up no matter where they are, water carries' dirt.

A map of the California Delta.

Our Dams store 42 million acre-feet, underground aquifers contain somewhere between 150 million acre-feet and 1.45 billion acre-feet depending on how it is measured. (I have a feeling no one knows how much is under the surface.) One acre-foot of water will cover one acre one foot deep, containing 43,560 cubic feet, 325,851 U.S. gallons, or exactly 1233.48184 cubic meters. One foot deep over one acre is easier for some of us to understand, myself included. One acre-foot will keep 8 farm workers employed, or 8,000 workers in factories in urban areas, farming adds 3% to the States yearly gross product putting to use as much as 80% of the usable water sources.

The Bay Area receives its water from several sources, the State Water Project, the Central Valley project (separate from the State Water Project), Hetch Hetchy, and the Mokelumne Aqueduct system. Los Angelos depends on the Colorado River Aqueduct, the State Water Project, the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Central Valley Project. Agriculture uses water from several water projects, the Central Valley Project counts for 1/3 of the water irrigating the San Joaquin Valley, and the Sacramento Valley. Kern County receives its water from the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. Colorado River water supplies the Imperial Valley through the "All American Canal".  Let's take a brief look at the main water projects in the State.

* The largest of the Bureau of Reclamation Projects is the Central Valley project delivering 7 million acre-feet for farming, urban and wildlife uses. 1 million people depend on it for drinking water, and 3 million acres are farmed with it.

* Operated by the California Department of Water Resources the State Water Project sends 2.3 million acre-feet from Northern California to the San Francisco Bay Area, the Southern San Joaquin River, and Southern California. 750,000 acres are irrigated with this water and provides water for as many as 23 million people.

* The Los Angelos Water System is the first built in California, 105 years ago, 1913, it is owned and operated by the Los Angelos Department of Water and Power. All of its 200,000 acre-feet is used within the City limits.

* Hetch Hetchy Water and Power Systems operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission delivers 330,000 acre-feet per year from across the Valley in the Sierra Nevada's located on the Tuolumne River watershed. Conveying it to San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda Counties.

* The Mokelumne Aqueduct is under the East Bay Municipal Utilities District supplying water to 1.4 million people and 35 Cities. Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties are among them.

* The Colorado River System supplies 4.4 million acre-feet to the Imperial Valley, Coachella Valley, and Southern California supplemented with All American Canal water.

O'Shaughnessy Dam, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir backs up behind it.

It's a complicated arraignment we have with water in this State, everyone, I mean everyone has an opinion about it, almost as if it's in our genetic makeup. Water storage is at the top of the debate list, in fact, a bond has been passed to build more dams, and improve the infrastructure. It is my opinion we should build more "off-stream" reservoirs, allowing for the Salmon fisheries to return. A conveyance system by-passing the Delta with 30-foot diameter tunnels has been a battleground since the 1970's when it was billed as the "peripheral canal". There is the Wishon-Courtright project, built in the 1980's, it is a Hydro-Power generator located deep inside a mountain, a huge tunnel was built between the two reservoirs located many miles from each other and at different elevations. Electricity is generated during the day, then at night when demand is down Diablo Canyon Nuclear Reactor supplies power to turn the generators into pumps. Overnight the water is pumped back up the hill to fill the supplier. (I don't know where the electrical power to serve that project will come from after Diablo is shut down. I worked on both projects as an Ironworker.)

The water battle is political and it's not, some of our elected representatives have tried to make it so, however it is a battle of region, culture, and misinformation. I live on the Delta, the opinion here is Southern California is on a water grab, farmers in the Central Valley claim we are being stingy with the water and go so far as to dump half of it into the ocean, oh and the minnows, Southern California believes it should all belong to them because they have 1/2 of the population of the state. We are all wrong, it starts at the 100th parallel, and should be managed from that point West, and East by one government entity.

The 100th Meridian, wet to the right, dry to the left. 

There is so much to this water system of ours, there are so many water districts, systems, and States affected we should have a system to regulate it that is modern, not one that was set up in the 1800's as a one size fits all arrangement.

Thanks for reading and sharing, I have my opinions about water, as does everyone else. I could ramble on for a long time on this subject but I must stop, I do however recommend to everyone I talk with about water to read the book "Cadillac Desert". Every person in the United States should read it, I'm in California and the water that flows by my house on the Delta affects my Sister who lives on Lake Superior in Minnesota.



jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com

Earthquakes occur all of the time here, what if one takes place when we are in the City for the day?

45 U.S. States and Territories are at risk of suffering an Earthquake, Drop-Cover-Hold-on is good to practice with all the household members. Knowing what to do, where to do it, and when to do it are the main preparatory questions to answer when living in an Earthquake zone.

Earthquakes happen.

Last year in September one of my grandsons and I began a conversation. It began after we had experienced a series of small earthquakes that had occurred overnight within a 100-mile radius of us. We live on the California Delta, 45 miles North East of San Francisco, it is an isolated semi-rural area. It is one of those places people are surprised to exist in the Bay Area, we are as far East as a Bay Area resident can be. Once in a while, we go into the "City", my grandsons and grand-daughters venture in much more frequently than I do. The question was "what would you do if you were on Fishermans Wharf and a major shaker took place."

He answered with a logical reply "I'd get out of town as fast as I could."

"Yep," I said, "you and about 870,000 other people, not including tourist."

There are three ways out of the Bay City, and all of those people would be heading right for one of them. * The Bay Bridge, *The Golden Gate Bridge, * Highway One through South San Francisco. They are all a parking lot during a normal work week, I can not imagine what it would be like during a major catastrophic event. There is a fourth way out, by water, the bay leads to an extensive delta system, the largest on the West Coast. It takes about 4 hours to get from the Golden Gate to where our house is on the Delta, most big boats travel at 12-20 knots.

He said he would walk out over the Bay Bridge, where to? Oakland? That may very well be the only way out depending upon where in town a person is. The first 3,000 or so vehicles to traverse the crossing may make it, all it would take is one breakdown to stop movement. The bridge would be jammed solid, then people would leave their cars, or trucks and start walking. It would be a long 50-mile walk to our spot on the river.

This may be another way out.

Highway One South would be easier to walk, but it would also be stopped after the first accident, or breakdown, which would almost certainly occur. It would be a long walk as well, we have relatives in the Central Valley, but it's 300 miles to Fresno where he would be heading.

The Golden Gate would be equally crowded and equally jammed up following the first wreck or flat tire. In that direction to head East, a person would also have to go across the Richmond-San Pablo Bridge. A guy would have more luck with that one because most of the cars would be backed up at the San Francisco Icon.

To be clear we were talking about the "Big One", at least the magnitude of the 1906 major event which was a 7.8. It ruptured the 300 northernmost miles of the San Andreas Fault, which runs from Northern California to Mexico through L.A. and the Southern Desert. The last Big one was 102 years ago, the next one is unpredictable, but we are not in the clear as it could take place in the next second, the next century or next week. We just simply need to be prepared for it, which 30% of us are, 30% want to be but for various reasons are not. The remaining 30% just do not see the warnings as a threat. Continuing our conversation I suggested to him there are two things which he should be certain to have covered before he heads to the City.

#1 Part of our plan includes an out of the area contact number, my brother in Minnesota. We have put together an Earthquake evacuation plan, each member of the family has a copy. We have a constant stream of visitors to our home, grandkids most commonly. It is important to include a contact number, equally important is to use an out of area contact. As far as a quake is concerned that person could be as close as Fresno, 300 miles away, it would take a massive event to affect the entire state. The length of the message could be "I'm fine and in Madera." for instance. The reason for an out of area contact is the cell phone frequencies will most certainly be extremely busy, that's what we will get, a busy signal. Thinking of my reaction when I connect to a busy signal, I hang up and immediately recall. During a disaster there would be a lot of people doing just that, adding to the congestion of the airwaves, my prediction is that getting through will not happen. On the other end of the call, our contact will take messages to relay to the other people calling.

#2 Carry water with him I advised, two pints at least, no one wants to or will carry a gallon around while on a brief visit to spend an afternoon. After getting in a clear zone, or an evacuation station, obtain more drinking water I told him he has a long walk. It is recommended we each drink 1/2 gallon of water per day, depending on the ambient temperature more may be needed. To exit a disaster area after an earthquake food is not as important as water, we can survive 8-10 days without food, 3-4 without water. One gallon of water weighs just under 9 pounds, it will get lighter the further a person travels. If it is a widespread event food and water would be increasingly more scarce, so fill the jug with water at every opportunity. People he would come across may not have water, that is the reason to keep a good quantity on his person, it would be tough to refuse water to a thirsty walker. The average walking speed is 3 miles per hour, it would take 20 hours to walk from the City to our island. He would have to find a place to spend the night in the vast urban jungle that is the Bay Area, it is a huge area. The San Andreas fault is much larger, however.

It may a rough walk through this for 50 miles.

During a short visit to the city for a day or attending one of the many sporting events or shows occurring there every week the possibility of a major earthquake is always present. I have seen the San Andreas fault in the North well into and past Plam Springs then extending as far South as Puerto Vallarta, it's long, powerful and active. That's just one fault, many others are running in every direction when visiting the city for a day are there any other precautions we should take?

I'm not sure how much sense it would be to take a large earthquake emergency kit into the city for the day. It may be prudent to take it along on the trip if the person is driving to fisherman's wharf or the Giants game as an example, leaving it in the car, if one was driven would be the best choice. Bart is the transportation of choice when traveling there for a game or show. An earthquake emergency preparedness kit when loaded with jackets and extra clothing can become amazingly heavy and awkward. Unless a kit is in a trunk or some sort of a handy wheeled carrier, the emergency preparedness kit should be left in the trunk or at home, it is more convenient to put together a smaller one. Call it the "escape kit", water, a flashlight, a jacket, and hat, along with something to eat, it can fit in a small messenger bag making it easy to attend to. The "escape kit" can be used at home as well, sometimes for example in the chance a wildfire erupts, a person has minimal time to escape. Having to walk several or many miles to get to a muster or relief station, a light kit will make the walk easier.

Suffering an earthquake during a brief visit to the city would be considered a rare occurrence, it does happen, however. We remember the Loma Prieta earthquake 6.9 magnitudes, on October 17, 1989, felt from San Francisco to Monterey, making communication important. There is no way to know which fault has slipped, it could be disastrous to escape in the wrong direction. Does a shaker happen often enough for us to be overly concerned about it? No, not overly, but a healthy concern is warranted and to have a small escape kit on your belt may be prudent. Water is an absolute, above and beyond all else we must have water.

(Follow this Link for Ready.gov water recommendations.)

 I don't expect any of my grandkids to be stranded in the city after an earthquake, however, it does happen. I was taught CPR at one place of employment, a large portion of the crew was in attendance. The office manager, a lady, was in attendance and contrary to most of the attendees had never been instructed on how to perform CPR before this time. That evening she had a tennis lesson during which a person at another court collapsed and stopped breathing, she administered CPR and mouth to mouth saving the person's life, it happened within 4 hours of taking the class. It happens more often than we realize, I can think of at least 3 other incidences of me explaining something or learning something then within hours of having to use it. So these emergency response conversations are important to have, especially when centered around your earthquake emergency plan, it should be a separate document attached to your main emergency plan. (It sounds like a lot of paperwork but it's not) Both plans should have spelled out what actions to take whether we are home alone or away from the house (as our example of being in San Francisco.) People are more likely to buy into the preparations if they are included in creating the emergency documents, all members of the family must know the plan and understand it perfectly, the preferred way is to make sure all family members have input into both plans. Practice the plans, go over them verbally and physically, where are the evacuation kits, who takes what, who's responsible for the dog or grandma? All of it is important, as well as spelling out what to do if an earthquake strands you in a big city.

It's well worth creating a document, (Link to FEMA's in-depth guide to family preparedness) a small emergency pack, and a means of communication to carry along on a day trip. Making it a generic kit will make it more versatile, just make sure everything in it is actually items needed for survival. Thanks for reading and sharing my blog, pass it on and share it then follow me on G+, Thanks again.

jacquesandkate  Emergencykitsplus.com