Are You Prepared for the California Wildfires?

California Wildfires, Angeles National Forest (Flickr/donielle)

I remember our first experience with California wildfires. My daughter and I were living in Burbank when one of the first California wildfires of the season erupted on a nearby hillside.

It was October of 2003 and we’d only been in LA for a couple of months.  I was frightened and stayed glued to the tv day and night wondering what I’d do if we had to evacuate.

There were fires scattered all about the area. The air was full of smoke.  I went out and bought white face masks and filled the van with gas, preparing for the worst. This was not something I was expecting when we made the move to L.A. for my daughter to pursue an acting career!

Santa Ana Winds Fuel the Wildfires

The wildfires were being fueled by the fierce Santa Ana winds, making it difficult for the firefighters to contain the fires.

The air quality was so poor that the kids couldn’t go out for lunch or recess. There was a thick haze of smoke, and pieces of ash were falling from the sky. It almost looked like snow falling…

California Wildfires 2009

Now it is 2009. We are once again dealing with California wildfires (as we have most years since 2003).  The Santa Ana winds are not blowing, but the fires have burned many acres in the Angeles National Forest and are continuing to spread.  As I stepped out of my house this morning, I could not only see the smoke in the air but I could smell it.

My family and I drove to Dick Blick Art Supply in Pasadena yesterday. We weren’t thinking about the fires, but as we headed close to the burning areas near the 210 freeway, we could see flames on the hills and huge, dark clouds of smoke filling the air.

Stay Tuned in to KFI/640 for Updates on the California Wildfires

We kept the radio on KFI (640 am) to hear the ongoing coverage of the fires. As we listened to the evacuation orders for a number of nearby areas, I thought of all the people being forced to leave their homes.

We saw people lined up outside of their vehicles watching the fires, possibly shut off from their homes near the burning areas. We watched the fire helicopters dropping water and retardant on the fires.

Time to Get Prepared!

All this made me start thinking about the need to get prepared for the fires and smoke spreading closer to our home and the possibility of needing to evacuate.  The fire season is just beginning, so these issues are likely to continue for the next several months.

If you are in Southern California, you are no doubt concerned about the wildfires and with good reason. How will the California wildfires affect you?

Are you prepared for the California wildfires?

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