Another, albeit relatively insignificant, victim of the Southern California Conflagration, was any progress I might have made on my projects, having become completely sucked into the vortex of information-gathering about the disaster! I've been a hopeless addict!!
Monday morning, when we first heard about the fire in Malibu (not again!), we had no idea what else might be burning, because CNN didn't give any clue as to the scope of the situation, being COMPLETELY focused on the, yes, very real danger to the property of a few celebrities--at first. Then, about mid-afternoon, San Diego fires finally began to suck up more and more of the on-air oxygen. By that time, they were well and truly super-sized! Yipes!! Move the cameras!! But the information given was so inadequate! So slow! Show me a MAP (my big complaint about the coverage of the huge fires around us in '03--no maps!)!! A few phone calls and emails provided some comfort and assurance that most of the folks, about whom we were concerned, weren't in harm's way, for the moment, but I couldn't be sure about everyone from 600 miles away!
So, I spent the better part of the next 2 1/2 days looking for, and eventually finding, the best, up-to-the-minute news and maps! MAPS!! I love them!! It was frustrating, for awhile, though! Early Tuesday, on TV, I had seen some satellite images flash by, that automatically registered "hot spots" superimposed on the usual satellite picture. The input was available, but, why was there no way to make it useful to the anxious viewer?? What's so difficult about that? Who knows? The fires kept growing and multiplying, and in areas Tom and I know well, and also know to be near neighborhoods occupied by loved ones! I needed information!! Shut up and show me a map!
It took some time, but I eventually found (because it was eventually provided) some very good sources online. It was almost intoxicating! I used CNN only for "color", basically. But for news, the KPBS and SD Union Tribune websites came through in spades! By Tuesday afternoon, each had its own blog about the fire and decent MAPS (finally!!), mostly self-refreshing, that gave pretty good coverage of the SD County fires, at least. By Wednesday, they were truly things of beauty! The UT's "fireblog" ( http://sosdfireblog.blogspot.com ) would post entries about all aspects of the fires, minute-by-minute. I'm still checking in from time to time (at 3:18, today: All Harris fire evacuations have been lifted, though there are still a few roads still closed). The UT's maps were, in the end, the most useful, though KPBS's were similar. They both really tightened up, yesterday, and included photos and video of specific areas (http://www.signonsandiego.com/firemap/). SDSU, by Wednesday afternoon, provided a huge assortment of maps, all with different purposes and all open for use by whomever. Ahh! The Internet being used at somewhat closer to it's potential!
So, aside from some inconvenience, every one of our friends and family was safe from the unbelievable devastation. We're so grateful! Schools and most other workplaces will slip back into normal schedules, this next week, and there's a lot of clean up to do. But, for quite a few people, there will be a very long road back to normal, if ever. How do we not forget about them, as time goes by?
I, myself, don't, yet, have what one would call a "normal" schedule, but, whatever it should have been last week, is what I'll try to get back to in this next one. That is, unless there's a big flood, or something...
