Chronic mega-fires, extreme drought, Santa Ana winds, mudslides, earthquakes - makes me think our tornadoes, floods, and the occasional hurricane are pretty mild by comparison. Hurricanes are an ugly business (I've ridden three out in my lifetime), but the average tornado really only seriously impacts a small percentage of an area's population - although they scare the living hell out of everyone when the sirens go off.
Forest fires just confound me. They are constantly an issue in the west, which is mostly desert and high desert, but rarely in the forested east or south. There's probably some elementary factor I'm missing that explains the disparity. I suppose winds play a big part. Even during the 1000-year drought we experienced a few years ago, things never got dry enough for fires of any consequence to break out, although it was a concern since this is some of the most densly-forested land in the country. Florida, much less densly forested, had some serious multi-day blazes though. Go figure.
Good thoughts to all affected by these fires. And I agree with Gary (us Garys gotta stick together) - the arsonists that start these massive blazes need a heavy dose of hard time. Fire up your own cell mattress and see how it feels . . .
