this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024

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140

‘What are the odds?’ California family lost one home to wildfire in 2018 — and a second in 2024 (lemmy.world)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

61 comments fedilink hide all child comments

It was frightening, and all too familiar. The family had previously been forced to flee as a wildfire bore down on another mountain town they called home: Paradise.

Now, with their path blocked and a horizon swallowed by flames, Kristy had an eerie feeling they were going to lose all they’d fought to build.

“I kind of knew then, like, we’re never coming home again — again, again,” she said.

The Camp fire, the deadliest in California history, devastated Paradise in 2018, consuming thousands of homes, including the Daneaus’.

They relocated to the town of Cohasset, putting them in the direct path of another wildfire, one that has since become the state’s fifth largest on record. Within just six years, the family again found themselves in jeopardy.

The trio eventually made it to safety, trekking seven hours down an unpaved loggers’ road to Chico. But their home in Cohasset was no match for an inferno’s fury.

“We’re starting completely over, again,” said Michael Daneau, 41. Every property they’ve ever owned has “burned to the ground with no value and nothing to our name.”

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[–] [email protected] 82 points 8 months ago (2 children)

”What are the odds?”

Fairly high, apparently:

Overall, Cohasset has a extreme risk of wildfire over the next 30 years.

It sucks but people have to start taking wildfire risk into account when choosing where to live. It’s the same as considering flood risk, earthquake risk, mudslide risk, etc.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 8 months ago

”What are the odds?”

Fairly high, apparently:

And getting higher thanks to climate change.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (1 children)

or how to build. let's 3D print some concrete beauties and cover them with a foot of dirt.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Concrete production is one of the big culprits in climate change. But maybe this could be done with rammed earth, sustainably harvested timber, and dry-stone masonry.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

great point. too bad earthships aren't up to building code in california.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Damn, they’re not? These seem like such a good solution to so many housing and environmental problems. I’ve wanted to build one for a while, but I’d want it to be in CA…shame.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

yea i think theres a few in palm springs anyway. you would need some exit windows for each bedroom, etc. don't expect any help from the fire department, as burning tires are toxic etc.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Ah yeah, I didn’t think about the burning tires thing…good point.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Carbon neutral concrete exists, but my guess is that it's way more expensive.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago

Unspoken : they rebuilt in the same sort of area. Of course this was going to happen.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 8 months ago

Cohasset and Paradise are about 10 miles away from each other.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It is almost like we should be doing something about climate change..

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Perhaps the next house they won’t build in a fire-prone area. But I doubt it.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)

That’s some great arm-chair criticism right there.

“You just suffered the second tragedy of your life? Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure the next one will be your fault too.”

Show a little empathy.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You can be empathetic for their plight while recognizing that their decisions lead to a repeat of a disaster.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but you cannot pretend that is an easy decision, or even a feasible one for most folks.

Why would they move from Paradise to another town so close by? Is it because they’re idiots?

Doubt it. I’ll bet their livelihood is tied to that area, quite possibly generationally. How feasible do you think it is for members of the Paradise farming community to uproot and move to a new location?

Their entire lives are rooted in that community. Leaving it could be as disastrous as the fire. They’re recovery is likely tacked into that very community, all trying rebuild as best as possible.

That is quite likely a reality here & everyone in this thread wants to treat these poor folks like idiots.

But sure… blame their “decisions”. Blame the entire town for not getting out of the way of climate change.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I really hear you making a lot of excuses. People move across the world by the millions each day at much greater hardship. These people can find a home in some place safer without completely upending their lives--even the next town over might have been a better decision here.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I’m not making excuses, I have first experience with natural disasters wiping out homes & the struggle families face on where to rebuild.

The fact that you can not fathom that someone might have roots, generations worth, put down in a community is absurd. You’re being flat out obtuse.

If you seriously think people have the ability to just relocate after losing everything then I can no longer help you.

You have judged someone who has lost everything twice. The only excuse I’m hearing is your excuse for not caring.

Take care.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I have first experience with natural disasters wiping out homes

There it is. This is why you made it personal. You're projecting your personal trauma onto others.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

No partner, this conversation with me & you? This is not personal. You're just an angry little speed bump, hatefully wishing ill on complete & total strangers, slowing up my scroll.

My context with this content is personal, but my conversation with you isn’t. You have proven not be worth any personal investment.

I do know people who have been impacted by natural disasters, but even if I didn’t, I would have the common fucking decency not wish your brand of judgement on anyone else.

You keep on hating everyone out there pal. Just keep on blaming others for shit they can’t change & spreading your rotgut foulness wherever you go!

Me? Im gonna go be a decent human.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (5 children)

It was a terrible mistake for me to have become involved with someone so unstable, and I very much regret it. It is hard to know when a good faith conversation will set someone off, and I walked into that here. You need to heal from your traumas. Those are not my fault, and are clouding your perception of the world.

We're done. I regret encountering you, but will block you now so that I cannot happen again.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Hey bud, i see you downvoting me. What’s the matter? Blaming people for their misfortune didn’t help you feel better?

Take breath, there will be another natural disaster tomorrow & you can feel superior to others when you’re feeling a bit better.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

HEY CHECK IT OUT!!! There’s been a 6.9 earthquake in the Philippines! You can blame some more victims!!!!

If you get there quick, you can be the first comment on the post!!

Go pal! It’s your favorite pastime!! Victim Blaming!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

This one could be fun. This was teenager who was found a pond!

Whose fault is it this time? The teenager? The parents? The pond?

I’m dying to know who you’ve deemed worthy of fault for this one.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Unstable? I’m not the one wishing ill on strangers. No I’ve never said it was your fault, I just said it wasn’t the victims fault.

I’m not the one blaming victims of natural disasters. You are.

And you do it from a distance, over the internet…

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I thought you were being a scootch unfair with this response, but I was very wrong.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It’s not like fires in California are a new phenomenon. The first one wasn’t their fault, sure. The second has shown them the risk and frequency of fires in the area they live. If they rebuild there again then yes, the consequences of any more fire damage or loss of property are completely their fault.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You got a family? You got a big family? Aunts, Uncles, cousins? Do you blame them when a natural disaster destroys their home & they choose to rebuild near their loved ones?

You sure don’t seem very kind if you think it’s ok to blame people for being in the paths of natural disasters.

When you lose your entire life, you tend to want to get some of it back. Staying in the same area, where, you know… you may have friends, family, a church, a school, a community, is one way to lighten that blow.

You sure do like swinging your judgements around like you’ve got this shit figured out.

Tell us, oh wise grand housing wizard, where have you built your un-destroyable, natural disaster proof house? Please, by all means, educate us with your infallible logic!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Lol and you made it into a personal attack. Whatever is going on here is really on you and not the person you just went ad hominem on.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You’re openly blaming people who have lost their homes twice. That’s a pure lack of humanity on your part.

This isn’t personal for me. I’m just calling you on having complete disregard for a person who’s lost everything twice.

You blamed them? Who the hell does that?

Grow up.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Your argument: people should be able to do whatever they want and the consequences are not on them. Any thought that their decision making lead them to this a SECOND time is apparently offensive.

You should probably do some introspection and try to figure out why the opinions of two random people can cause you to rage so hard. This entire discourse is of you projecting your own personal issues. So I will deflect: no, you should grow up.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

People have homes, people build communities, people build families. Those things are not easy for some people to live without.

If you have an easy time walking away from those things, especially after you’ve lost everything, twice, then good for you. You truly have the ability only care for yourself & you’ll go far on your own

You can’t reduce human life down to a single decision & if you continue judging everyone so harshly for making a decision you wouldn’t, you’re going to run out of people to judge faster then you’d expect.

Take care of yourself friend. Your black & white outlook on the human decision making capacity is pretty wild. You should write up a paper on it.

Edit: and for the record, my argument was never that people get to do what they want. Of course they don’t.

My argument was & still is, this a far more complicated situation than you’re willing to acknowledge. Additionally, your willingness to shit on those involved from a distance & reduce them to “idiots” tells me every thing I need to know about who you are as a person.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I have never used the word "idiot", you did. I don't know if you're fully in contact with reality at this point.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

No, you just blamed someone who has lost their life’s work to tragedy. Twice.

I was just trying to be a bit more civil while rehashing your repeated disgust for strangers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (3 children)

No, you came out to project your own past traumas on other people.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

No my friend. I just stood up for basic human decency.

You came out to shit on strangers. I’ve got no patience for that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Hey, I guess I’m trauma projecting here again, but don’t you think the people who ordered the packages are to blame here? Check out this story.

I could really use your input on this one. If someone orders a package, should t they expect it to be stolen?

I mean, I’m following your logic here. The person ordered a package & packages get stolen all the time… so the package ordered should a known right?

I mean… you have to blame the person that ordered the package here right? There’s no way it’s not the purchasers fault right?

Am I doing this right?

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

That's a lot easier said than done. There's a reason property in that area is relatively more affordable than in other parts of the state.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They are going for a lifestyle. This isn’t about affordability.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

It's probably both.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yeah im sure they could just use their spare 2 million dollars they had sitting around after the Camp fire to buy a home in a safer area in northern California. Easy peasy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (5 children)

You say this like it's a joke but insurance is a thing.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

Apparently, 30%.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Pretty likely considering the electric company refuses to properly insulate their wires and they’re constantly causing wildfires

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

That's what happened to us with the Camp Fire, but a guy started the Park Fire (currently at 401,199 acres and 27% contained).

https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/30/fire-started-by-man-pushing-flaming-car-is-californias-5th-largest-ever/

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago

It's almost like catastrophic fire, flood, and earthquake risk is autocorrelated.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

Pretty fucking good? Becoming better (read: worse) too!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Maybe people should not be living in fire hazard zones and hurricane paths?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

About 100% for that family.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

i read animals need three takes to understand. there was an experiment with a mole and some tunnels and electric charges in the 80s i think and they found out 3 is the magic number in learning curves for dumb animals.

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