Wildfires of San Diego, Part Deux

As natural disasters go, San Diego 2007 is surely no Katrina. It has been two days since we've been declared a state of emergency. We've been plugged into the news since the very beginning and we've seen no images of embittered San Diegans complaining about a lack of attention from local, state and federal government. It's truly amazing how organized the relief efforts have been.

The evacuation centers have been described as a "resort spa" atmosphere. At Qualcomm Stadium, they've been offering yoga classes, massage therapy and emotional counseling. Yeah, this is San Diego. They've been inundated with supplies from local businesses for the evacuees: food, medicine, toiletries, blankets, entertainment, etc. There have been so many donations, they're even able to turn away food because they have too much. Doctors and teachers have converged there to teach lessons and provide medical care. People here have been behaving themselves, no major incidents of looting or law breaking.

We've had two visits from the Governator so far. Our firefighters have been working side by side with firefighters from across the state. They've been working on very little sleep and food to prevent the fires from spreading. These guys are awesome! Federal planes have been sent (unfortunately they've been grounded due to bureacratic red tape), but the military have been deployed to help put out the fires. Bush is slated to arrive tomorrow. Michael Chertoff and FEMA are here and on the ground fielding questions. They say the damage estimates for SD county are nearing $1 Billion. Bush has just offered to assist non-insured homeowners with the rebuilding effort. The fires still rage on. More evacuations are announced. So far, San Diego has shown grace under pressure. Bravo San Diego! You've made us proud!